And You Can See Right Through Me
by brittneyx
Summary: Final Chapter Up ... Finally. Michael and OC. Jason and Sam also in here.
1. thought of you tonight

Monroe Kennedy is an artsy and outgoing 16 year old that has recently moved to Port Charles, New York from New York City. Her parents are both own a very expensive hotel in NYC and are never around. They spend as much time as they can at the hotel, working and most of the time sleep there also. Monroe was raised by nannies and now that she was 16, they left her on her own. They insisted she attend Madison Prep School instead of Port Charles High School and they also insist that she apply to the most prestigious colleges in the United States. She was a year accelerated so instead of being a junior she was a senior. Monroe didn't really take her school work to seriously, but Madison Prep did have an awesome art program, so she didn't put up a fight.

It was the first day of school and Monroe woke herself up extra early so she would have a lot of time to get ready. She got into the shower and tried to make it as fast as possible. She got out and put on a robe and looked around her closet for something special to wear, but then she sadly realized that she had to wear a uniform. She would be wearing the same dull uniform everyday for the next 180 school days. She put on the dreadful purple and yellow outfit and began to blow dry her long brown hair. She straightened it and found a cute bow to go in her hair that would match. She applied a light amount of makeup and then went down stairs and grabbed an apple as she flipped on the news. She kept seeing the names Jason Morgan and Sonny Corinthos appear frequently. She knew nothing about Port Charles before arriving there, but she had a feeling that even though it was a relatively small city compared to NYC, it was going to be filled with a ridiculously large amount of drama.

She grabbed her purse and keys and locked the door behind her as she then got into her black 2010 Porsche Panamera. Her parents liked to make up for their lack of attention with an overabundance of expensive gifts, and Monroe really couldn't complain about something like that. She pulled up to the school and was surprised to see cars just as nice as hers surrounding her. She got out of her car and walked up to the school. She looked at her phones calendar where she had her classes and their times written down. 1st period was history; all Monroe could think about was how horrible that was. She hated history so much. She walked into the class and saw that a lot of seats were already filled, she saw a cute boy with blonde hair sitting next to a girl with dark brown hair. Seeing this attractive blonde boy brightened her mood, although his fake smile didn't. It was very obvious that he did not want to be here at all. Monroe decided to sit in front of him, just to start the day off right. She looked at her phone and saw that class didn't start for another 10 minutes; she guessed everyone was early because of it being the first day. She was extremely bored and her friendliness was shining through as she decided to turn around to the guy and girl behind her and introduce herself.

"Hi, I'm Monroe Kennedy; I'm new here, what's your name?" She extended her hand out and smiled widely at the brunette sitting diagonal to her.

"Oh hey, I'm Kristina Davis, and this is my brother Michael Corinthos" she pointed to the cute boy sitting next to her quickly, and then shook Monroe's outstretched hand.

"Hi, nice to meet you" Monroe said and looked at Kristina first and then at Michael who also shook her hand.

"So where did you move to Port Charles from?" Kristina asked Monroe.

"New York City. My parents thought a quieter city would be better for me." She said, rolling her eyes. That wasn't the real reason. Monroe didn't even know the real reason, but she thought that sounded better. "How long have you guys lived here?" She questioned.

"Our whole lives. Most people from Port Charles have been here their entire lives. If you want we could show you around after school or at least give you the ins and outs. Do you know where Kelly's is?" Kristina asked.

"Yep! They have the best smoothies… ever" She said smiling.

"Great, meet us there after school… I hope we have some more classes together" Kristina said, and a couple seconds later the teacher walked in. And Monroe's boring day started. Kristina's wish came true, Monroe and she ended up having 3 other classes together and Michael and Monroe had 2 more classes together. Although Monroe thought it was weird that Michael ignored her completely in those classes and sat by himself, completely silent as people around him stared at him and whispered. This really confused her. She was also confused in gym class when girls snickered, stared, and pointed at Kristina, shooting her dirty looks at every chance possible. Monroe didn't know if she was going to be able to handle such petty drama.

Monroe grabbed some of her books, threw them in her car and then drove over to Kelly's. She ordered a strawberry smoothie and a water and sat down in a booth with Michael and Kristina. Kristina was really proud when she sat down next to Michael and Michael didn't seem at all uncomfortable. "So is like 90% of Madison's population just stuck up bitches and annoying jerks?" Monroe asked and Kristina and Michael couldn't help but smile.

"What do you mean?" Kristina asked.

"Well for starters, I was constantly thinking I had something on my shirt with how often I caught guys staring at my chest, secondly in the 3 classes I had with you there was so many girls just pointing fingers and making disgusted little pathetic faces, and in the two classes I had with Michael, the guys were doing basically the same shit. It seems ridiculous. I mean I went to a snobby school before but this just seems out of control" Monroe said, taking a sip of her water and then exhaling a deep breath.

"Well. I guess there's something you should know about me before we continue all this and something else you should know about Michael if he wants to tell you…. Most of my junior year and for half of the summer I was dating this guy Kiefer. He was abusive towards me to the point where I ended up in the hospital twice. The second time on the way to the hospital he was walking in the middle of the road and my mom accidentally hit him. She was too worried about me to worry about that and when she got to the hospital with me for the second time she didn't mention it to anyone that she had hit him. All the girls at school basically think I made everything up about Kiefer hitting me and think my mom is some sort of murderer even though she was saving my life." Kristina said. Monroe could tell it was really hard for her to talk about and she gave her a sympathetic look. Monroe had also been in an abusive relationship for about 3 years but the guy she was with was good at what he did. He hit her in places no one saw and made her believe he loved her so she kept her mouth shut. It only took him moving out of the state for them to break up. She really didn't want to bring that up in front of Michael , or anyone right now so she just told Kristina she was sorry and then looked over at Michael.

"I killed my stepmom, and now I'm out on parole." Monroe just kind of stared at him blankly.

"You don't just kill someone and get out on parole" Monroe said to him, completely confused.

"He killed his stepmother accidentally, while he was trying to save his mother. His stepmother, Claudia, was crazy and kidnapped his mom while she was pregnant and Michael found them and hit Claudia over the head with a bat to get her away from his mom." Monroe nodded, not sure of what to say.

"I'm not a hero" Michael said quietly, staring at her.

"I didn't say you were" she replied, not trying to sound cruel but she didn't really know what Michael was trying to get at. Kristina looked at Michael surprised because he didn't look angry or anything, his eyes lit up as he looked at Monroe in amazement, she really did not sugarcoat anything for him. They talked for a lot longer. Monroe learned many things about both of them but they didn't learn much about her. She was a very beautiful and outgoing young girl, but she did not give details on her personal life the way Kristina did. Kristina said she had to leave because her mom wanted her home and she exchanged numbers with Monroe, for some reason Michael didn't want to stop talking with this gorgeous girl sitting in front of him. He felt like he could open up with her because she didn't expect a damn thing from him. She just listened, and he enjoyed listening to her too. A waiter came over and they decided to order dinner since it was nearing 5 o clock, and they continued their conversations.

"So I feel like my sister and I did a lot more talking than you did. I feel like we don't know anything about you" Michael told her, staring into her deep blue eyes.

"Not much to tell. I'm really into art, anything I can get my hands on; paint, clay, pencil, computer designs, literally anything. My parents never wanted children and it's quite apparent with the fact that their never home. I was raised by a nanny until I was fifteen and they think lavish gifts can make up for their absence." She said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Where are they?" Michael asked.

"They own a five star hotel/restaurant in NYC. It is called The Kennedy... so original. They put their heart and soul and everything into it and basically live in one of the master suites there" she confided in him. So much for keeping her distance and not giving personal details to them she thought.

"I've heard of that hotel. I think my family and I have actually even stayed there while we were in NYC. But, don't you have any other relatives you could be close with, like grandparents or aunts or something?" He asked, curiously.

"Both my parents got kicked out of their house by their parents at the age of 16. They found each other a year later. Moved in together, struggled through college, got married, started up a small hotel in Queens, eventually moved onto The Kennedy in NYC, had my older brother and then seventeen years later had me and that was it. My brother helped them with the business from the time I was born until the time he died and they have cut ties with every family member they've ever known and I have never met any of my family besides them and I don't even consider them family. So basically it's just me" She said with a small smile

"That sounds like such a horrible story, worse than mine. I mean I've been through a lot and I'm hard on myself but I have so many loving people surrounding me." Michael told her.

"Well, it is not the greatest story but it is what it is. I just want to finish school and start my own family. Have a real life away from here and start over. I would never be like them" She said smiling, and taking a bite of her salad.

"You really are a fascinating person, Mrs. Kennedy" he said, slightly winking at her, which made her laugh. She was having a really good time with him, and she was sad to know that he would have to leave soon. She could stay there all night if she wanted. But she knew his brother would want him home at a reasonable time because of his parole. After talking for an hour more, he did say he had to get going. They paid for dinner and she stood up and hugged him as he left. She decided to go shopping for a little bit and eventually made her way home. She took a long shower and changed into a comfortable pair of pajamas, turned on the television, and looked at her phone and saw that she had three unread texts.

Kristina- Michael wants us all to hang out again. Are you available Friday night?

Michael- Just wanted to say goodnight, so... Goodnight

Mom- Staying at work for the night. Put $1,000 in your bank account this morning. See you later.

She replied, "Friday works great, how about my house?" to Kristina. "Goodnight to you too :)" to Michael, and she didn't even bother to say anything to her mom. Kristina replied back "Sounds good! Need directions" to which Morgan responded with the directions and a few minutes later fell asleep. It was not a good night of sleep. Hearing about Kristina's story with her abusive boyfriend made her think of her relationship with her ex, Conner and how traumatic it was. But she eventually focused all her thoughts on the sweet guy she had met today, Michael, and she drifted into a better sleep. Little did she know, that Michael was thinking about her to keep the nightmares from coming into his mind as well.


	2. getting to know you

The next day at school was a difficult one. On top of the lack of sleep Monroe had gotten, some jerk was hitting on Monroe during lunch while she was standing with Kristina and Michael. He started coming at Michael and saying things to Monroe like she needed to get away from him and he was a killer, and Michael pushed him against the wall by the neck. Monroe handled the situation before anyone could see anything. She calmed Michael down, reminding him he was on parole and Michael let him go. Monroe grabbed the guy by the arm. She whispered in his ear. "Say anything to anyone and you'll be sorry. Remember who his father is" and he walked away. Michael wanted to know what she whispered to him but Monroe refused to tell him, knowing he would probably be mad that she used his father as a threat. He didn't push it because he was relieved that Monroe got involved before the principal did and the rest of the day went normally.

Pretty soon Friday night was there and Kristina was pretty happy with what she had come up with. Although Michael had told her he wanted the three of them to hang out again, Kristina decided she wasn't going to show up. She was going to let Michael and Monroe have a night to themselves, and not let them know she had planned that. She told Michael she would meet him there, and Michael headed over to Monroe's house around 7:30pm.

Monroe was happy to not be in uniform as she put on a pair of light colored destroyed skinny jeans and a black quarter length sleeve shirt. She had her hair down and straightened with a black bow in it, and light make up on. She heard the doorbell ring and smiled when she opened the door and saw Michael standing there with his hands in his pockets. She waved for him to come in. "You can just sit on the couch, make yourself comfortable, I'm going to get a drink and my phone… Do you want anything?" She asked him.

"Yeah, whatever you are having is fine" he replied, and awkwardly sat down on the right end of the couch. Monroe got two lemonades and went into her room to get her phone, she sat on the middle cushion, but not right up against him and handed him lemonade. The couch had over sized cushions so it was not like they were sitting all that close to each other. She flipped on the TV to VH1 and put the remote down; she didn't feel like surfing through to find something she actually wanted to watch. They made small talk, Michael told her how amazing her house was and she told him how her day went, and a few seconds later Monroe's phone went off. It was Kristina.

Kristina- Hey, sorry but I can't make it tonight. My mom needs me to stay with Molly, she has a date. Sorry!

Monroe just laughed, "Well Kristina can't make it, her mom wants her to stay with Molly" Monroe told Michael.

Michael just rolled his eyes, "Oh well. I had a feeling something like that would happen" Michael said, shaking his head.

"Oh, so she enjoys playing matchmaker?" Monroe asked.

"Oh yeah. I love her to death and I know she just wants me to be happy but she does things like this and it drives me crazy"

"Oh, so how many girlfriends have you had in the past from Kristina's doing?"

"None, really. It never works out. And awhile before jail I was in a coma for three years" He told her, and she was completely shocked.

"WOW! That's crazy… how did that happen?"

"I was shot in the head by an assassin hired to shoot my father" he replied.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry to hear that!" She said.

"It's alright. I'm fine now. Well as fine as I can be" She nodded her head.

"OK, so enough talking about sad things. Let's play 20 questions. I'll go first… favorite color?" She asked.

"Hmm, blue. I guess. Yours?"

"I'll say, yellow. But I actually like each color for a different reason. Favorite food?"

"Pizza…favorite movie?"

"Well, this may be surprising because I do come off as girly but I'm not really into chick flicks. I love scary movies; new ones, old ones, dumb ones, gory ones, I just love them all." She said smiling at him.

"I like scary movies too; October is the best month ever."

"My birthday is on Halloween. My middle name is Raven after Edgar Allan Poe's poem and it being the creepy Halloween bird. So yeah I'd agree with you that it's the best month ever. OK, what is your favorite thing to do on a Sunday?" Monroe asked.

"That is really cool. Hmm, on Sundays I like to hang out with my family. I have a little sister, Josslyn, she's only like 10 months old but she's actually pretty awesome to hang out with."

"Your family is really confusing. So you have an older brother Dante who you live with right now, and you share a dad with him. Kristina who you also share a dad with, Morgan who you share a mom and dad with, and Josslyn who you share a mom with?" Luckily Monroe had a pretty good memory.

"Well yes, but there is no blood relation with me and Dante or with me and Kristina because Sonny isn't my real father he is my adoptive father." Michael said kind of laughing because he was watching Monroe's face grow even more confused.

"Wow, this town is so bizarre. That is all I have to say" Monroe said, shaking her head and taking a sip of lemonade.

"Ok, well I'm very curious as to what your favorite thing to do on a Sunday is?" Michael now questioned Monroe.

"Well, I usually wake up around 6:00am, make myself a cup of coffee, go out onto the deck and watch the sunrise. Then I get out my easel and paint for about 3 or 4 hours. After that, I snuggle up in bed and sleep until lunch time. Get some lunch. And just lie around and do absolutely nothing. Unless I feel like shopping, or a lot of the time I'll go to the park and make sketches of the families. In NYC I spent a large amount of time in Central Park. Sometimes I was there more than I was home." Monroe said, smiling as she remembered times back in the park. She loved to just walk around and then find a good place to draw. In the mornings she would go for runs there.

"Sounds really nice, if I knew how to draw anything other than stick figures it actually sounds pretty perfect." Michael told her. Monroe was getting more comfortable around Michael, now she was lying down with her feet legs across his lap and her head prompt up on a large pillow.

"It was really nice. I also used to teach art to young kids at an elementary school by my house. Most of the kids were brats, but every now and then I would get one that really appreciate the art and I'd put all my effort into making them really enjoy what they were learning… It was a really good experience for me. Have you ever had a job?" Monroe asked Michael.

"No. As snotty as it sounds, I don't really need a job because of my parent's wealth. I mean I'm sure you don't actually need to work either. But on top of the fact that my parents always give me what I need, I'm on parole, and I'm not passionate about anything to go out and find a job that involves it." Monroe nodded understandingly, she was positive that if she couldn't find a job involving art, she wouldn't work at her age either, especially with her parents always giving her money because they feel bad. In that way they were raised pretty similarly. She learned that Michael also had nannies growing up because his father was running a business and his mother was also busy doing different things. From what it sounded like, Monroe thought it sounded like his mother was busy getting men into bed, but she would never say that out loud to him. But at the end of the day, his parents were there for him. Monroe was missing that part of the equation.

It was getting later and later but Monroe and Michael didn't even notice the time. Eventually the talking died down and they focused more and more on the TV, but soon Monroe started to drift off to sleep. Luckily, Dante's apartment was close to Monroe's house because earlier in the night Monroe had offered him a ride home since it was going to be dark by the time he went home. He didn't want to wake her, so he covered her with a blanket he found on the chair next to the couch, left her a note, and then locked the door behind him as he slipped out. Michael knew he was getting into trouble with this; he was really starting to like Monroe a lot. He couldn't wait for them to talk and hopefully see each other the next day. Deep down though, Michael knew he was still battling demons he didn't want to have to bury Monroe with. Jail changed him, just like it changes anyone, and he was a lot less open and warm hearted. He didn't have to endure any of the really horrible things that go on in jail, but he was beaten up, and constantly looking over his shoulder. He rarely ever slept, and he still had trouble sleeping now, even while he was out of prison. That night all he wanted to do was stay there and lie down next to Monroe because he knew that maybe for once he would get a good night's sleep. He also knew that he wasn't ready for that and it was too soon anyways, so that is why he left.


	3. dinner date drama

Monroe awoke the next day a little confused because she was in her living room and not her bedroom. She sat up quickly and remembered that Michael was over the night before. She looked at the coffee table in front of her and saw a pen and a note rested on it.

**Monroe-**

**I had a really good time tonight. You fell asleep so I thought that was the cue for me to leave. :) You can text me sometime tomorrow if you want.**

**Michael.**

Monroe smiled at how cute it was that he left a note and covered her with a blanket. She looked at her phone and saw that it was 2pm, and she had an unread text from Kristina.

_Kristina- SO sorry I couldn't make it last night! Did you and Michael have a good time? We all need to hang out soon!_

She replied telling her it was okay and her Michael had a really good time. She also told her that they would all need to hang out again or maybe even just the two of them could have a girl's night. Kristina sent back a smiley face and Monroe laughed. She knew Kristina was playing matchmaker, but at the same time she didn't care because she was really starting to like Michael. She hadn't been in a relationship since Conner, and she knew she wasn't ready for any of that yet, and she also knew Michael wasn't ready either but it was nice to have someone's company and have someone to talk to.

Monroe didn't want to seem clingy and text Michael as soon as she woke up so she decided to take a shower first. She went into the bathroom and turned on the water, waiting for it to get hot. She undressed quickly and jumped into the shower. She was in there until the hot water ran out and finally got out and wrapped her head in a towel and threw on a robe. She looked into the mirror and wiped away the stray lines of eyeliner that ran below her intense blue eyes and then got out of the bathroom and walked into her room. She didn't know what she wanted to wear, and she also didn't know what she would even be doing that day. She hoped that if she texted Michael he would want to make plans with her that evening so she wouldn't have to spend the evening alone. It was then that she realized she had spent all her time that week making close friendships with Michael and Kristina and she hadn't even tried to make friends with anyone else at Madison Prep. She didn't really mind this but at the same time, she didn't want to only have two friends. She knew that there weren't many friendly people at Madison Prep but she decided that it would be her mission on Monday to make more friends.

She finally got dressed and decided on an off the shoulder light blue dress and white flats. It was still pretty warm out for it being September so she figured she might as well wear her summer clothes while she still could. She pulled her long chocolate brown hair into a low side ponytail, and put on a few pieces of jewelry and a light amount of make up on.

_Monroe- Hey, what are you up to?_

_Michael- Nothing much, just watching some TV. How about you?_

_Monroe- Nothing at all. Starving though! Didn't wake up until 2pm_

_Michael- Hahahaha, well my dad owns this Italian place called Pozzulo's if you wanna meet me there and get something to eat? I just have to make sure my dad isn't going to be there._

_Monroe- Sounds great, I love Italian. Just give me the address._

He gave her the address and they said they would meet there in a half hour. Monroe sat around for a little bit longer and then drove over to Pozzulo's to meet Michael after he texted her and said it was fine because his dad wouldn't be there. When she arrived Michael was standing out front in a pair of dark jeans and a black shirt. She gave him a quick hug and he smiled at her.

"You look beautiful, Monroe" he told her and she smiled at him, beaming. That was the first time he had ever complimented her, and also the first time he had ever called her by her first name. She told him thank you and he held the door for her as they walked inside.

"So I have to ask, why didn't you want your dad to be here? Are you like not allowed to have friends that are girls?" She said with a small laugh.

"Oh no, nothing like that. He would actually be proud of me for bringing a girl around. It's just that since I'm on parole one of the conditions is that I should have minimal contact because of his history in crime. If the Prosecutor, Clair Walsh sees me around him a lot I could go back to jail for violating my parole." He told her.

"Wow that really sucks. So how much longer are they saying you will be on parole?" She asked curiously.

"I'm not sure, hopefully not much longer. I'd really like to go back to living with my mom and her husband, I kind of cramp Dante and Lulu's space and I miss being around my dad and Jason" Michael confided in her, by now they had ordered and were just waiting for it to come. A few seconds later Monroe saw a petite woman with dark hair and a business suit on walk through the doors, looking angry.

"Michael, what are you doing here? You know this is a violation of your parole" She said in a matter of fact voice, and Monroe already hated her. What a coincidence that they were just talking about her and she decides to show up.

"I'm just getting dinner with my friend, my dad isn't here." Michael replied, looking down at his plate.

"I'm going to have to report this; I've let it slide a few times now. But this can't be happening you cannot be around your father's business while you are on parole" Clair told him, Monroe saw the look on Michael's face and knew she wasn't going to be able to keep her mouth shut.

"Excuse me. I don't mean to be rude but Michael was just telling me about the parole and he said that part of the conditions were MINIMAL contact with his father. Now, I can look it up but last time I checked minimal meant of the least possible, not "none at all" and right now I don't see Sonny anywhere." Monroe said, now standing up.

"Spending time in a place that Sonny owns is like Michael is trying to be around him and that cannot be happening."

"Okay well, I also have texts on my phone where Michael is asking ME to dinner, not his father, and along with asking me to dinner he also says he just has to check and make sure his dad isn't going to be at the restaurant. So if Michael is trying to be around Sonny so badly why would he make a conscious effort to make sure Sonny wasn't going to be here?" Monroe questioned, resting her hands on her hips.

"Listen, I'll see past this, yet again. But Michael, please use better judgment next time." Clair looked at Michael who just nodded his head and then she walked out. Monroe exhaled deeply, looking annoyed as she sat down.

"What a bitch" she said, and Michael kind of smiled at her.

"You don't have to stand up for me, I can take care of myself" Michael said, staring at her.

"Not to someone who can throw you back in prison and obviously WANTS to throw you back in prison with the way she stormed in here acting all high and mighty barking conditions. I mean that is just ridiculous. You actually weren't violating any of your parole. She's just stupid; she must have a vendetta she's trying to fill."

"I actually think you are right. My cousin Molly came over this morning, and told me she saw Sonny and Clair kissing the other day. So now I'm just assuming that my dad is done with her and now she is just using me to get to him" Michael told her and Monroe just stared at him.

"Why would your dad be trying to get with the woman who put you in prison?" Monroe asked staring as she took a bite of her pasta.

"My dad's a complicated person, I just stay out of it. I'm sure he had a reason, and I'm sure he might have even liked her." Michael stated. After that, dinner went by rather smoothly and they decided to end the night earlier rather than 3am like they did the previous night. Michael told her that Dante would probably like to see him home at a reasonable hour so he walked her to her car and kissed her on the cheek as she got in her car and drove away. Michael was left lost in his thoughts as he walked home. He couldn't believe how amazing this girl was. She stood up for him in front of some jerk at school and got him to back down, and then she stood up for him in front of a federal prosecutor and got her to back off. She truly was a piece of work. He could only smile at the fact that she seemed interested in him. He was brought out of his thoughts by his phone ringing; he looked at the caller ID "Dad".

"Hello?" Michael answered sharply.

"Hey are you alright? Jon called me; said Clair was in harassing you and your date. I'm really sorry"

"Its fine, I'm fine. Monroe put her in her place and she walked out. She didn't even have anything against me really. She was just blowing off steam" Michael told his dad who was laughing.

"Who is Monroe?"

"The girl Jon saw me with, we were eating dinner there when Clair stormed in"

"Is this girl your girlfriend?"

"No, she's just a friend from school, she moved here from New York City at the end of the summer. She's really nice and is good friends with Kristina too."

"Sounds great. I'll talk to you later. I'm planning a vacation for Morgan, you, Kristina, and I once you are off parole. You deserve it with all you are being put through, Buddy" Sonny told him and Michael smiled. He really could use a vacation; he would like nothing more than to get away from this place. He wondered if he would be able to convince his dad to let Monroe come along. He really didn't know why he was thinking that far in advance. Who knows when he would be getting off parole and who knows if Monroe would even want anything serious with him? He did know that Monroe did make him want to be a better person. Just talking to her and hearing all her aspirations about art and raising a family outside of Port Charles made him want nothing to do with the mob. It actually even made him want to consider going to college. He knew that alone would make his mother love Monroe.

Monroe got home relatively fast. It seemed like all the places you wanted to be in Port Charles were pretty close together. Kelly's Diner, General Hospital, Metro Court, all of it was in extremely close distance. Luckily she was used to that in NYC, she never really went anywhere far because all the greatest restaurants, her school, and shopping were close enough to walk to. Monroe got out of her car and walked into the house. She decided to go to bed early even though she wasn't tired because she wanted to start off her Sunday right.

Read and Review ! I would love it!

Thank you to the one reviewer so far, I went back and saw I had a review and thats what made me continue! I have lots more to come :)


	4. it scared the hell out of him

Well since this is a short one, and I haven't updated in awhile I decided to post two chapters in one day:) hope you likee!

I don't own anyone! All to GH! Except Monroe :)

- I have to warn people who may have started to read this. I am a JaSam fan til the very end. Elizabeth will never be with Jason in my story. And also, I don't really like Brenda anymore. She is really starting to annoy me!

The next morning Monroe woke up around 5am and went into the kitchen to grab a pastry and make a hot cup of coffee. Once the coffee beeped that it was done, she overloaded it with cream and sugar and went out onto the deck attached to her room. She looked out into where the sun would be rising and thought about all the things that had happened in the past week. In a matter of days she made two really good friends, one of them that could be a potential boyfriend. He was so sweet to her and he really paid attention and listened to her. He didn't try to kiss her yet, he really was such a gentleman towards her, and that was exactly what she needed. She leaned her head back on the head rest of the chair and smiled. Things were really looking up compared to her life in NYC. Although she had to admit there were 2 of her girl friends she was missing a lot. They would love Kristina and they would also love Michael. Although their opinions were a little bit off, they thought Conner was a great guy too. She knew they meant well though, and that was all that mattered. They really thought Conner made her happy, Monroe was good at pretending.

A few hours later, Monroe was on her way to the park. She had just finished eating a sandwich at Kelly's and pulled out her sketch pad as she walked to the park which was very close. She sat down on a bench in front of three huge trees and catty cornered to a family sitting down having a picnic. She started to get lost in her sketch and she drew the man holding his little girl in his lap and the mother sprawled on her side with her son sitting in front of her legs as they ate what looked like fruit salad and sandwiches. Monroe couldn't help but smile as she saw the little girl laughing and throwing her head back as her blonde curls went flying about. She was so into the drawling that she didn't even notice someone standing within five feet of her. Eventually she looked up and saw Michael standing there, smiling, with a dozen calla lilies tied together with a yellow bow. Monroe saw the flowers and then Michael and then stood up smiling taking the flowers.

"For me? You are so sweet, thank you" she said smiling an infectious smile which made him laugh.

"You're welcome; I hope I'm not interrupting."

"No, it's perfect. Let's go back to my house so I can get these in water." He nodded and they began to walk back to her house.

As they walked through the front door, Monroe's phone started to go off. She looked at it and saw that Kristina was calling.

"Hey, what's up?" Monroe asked as she answered the phone.

"Oh nothing just bored. Was wondering if you wanted to hang out? Do some homework maybe, I know that sounds super boring but we do have science homework due on Tuesday"

"Sure, well Michael and I just got here. We ended up meeting up at the park. So you can just come here and we can all hang out like we were supposed to on Friday!"

"Great, I'll be there soon." Kristina said quickly, and hung up the phone.

"Kristina's going to come over in a little bit" Monroe told Michael and he nodded his head as Monroe untied the bow around the flowers and put them in the vase. She then tied the bow around the vase and put them on the table.

"Wow, did you do all of these?" Michael asked as he looked at the table and saw there was various paintings scattered on it.

"Yeah. I've done all of these since I moved to Port Charles" She told him and he smiled at her. He was amazed by the paintings. Even though they were small, they were so detailed. There was one that was obviously done at the docks, another which was done out front of Kelly's, and then another one of random doodles in fluorescent colors.

"Wow, you really are talented. What got you so into art?"

"Well, it is definitely something to occupy your time and I've spent a lot of my time alone. I've been drawing every since I could pick up a pencil and I started painting not long after. My nanny told my parents how good I was so they bought me everything I needed. Although, I don't ever think they've seen a single piece of my work. I don't care or anything, I think it's great that they at least got me everything I needed. But I love it, I love photography too. It is all amazing" She told him, she found it so easy to talk to him. He listened to every single word. He never judged, he never made fun, he just genuinely cared.

A knock on the door brought them out of the conversation and Monroe opened it to see Kristina standing there with her book bag, and Monroe invited her in.

"Hey Michael" Kristina said as she sat down next to him and put her book bag. "Oh my god Monroe, where did you get those flowers from? They're gorgeous!" Kristina asked excitedly, eyeing Michael.

"Actually, Michael got them for me" Monroe said smiling and Kristina smiled at Michael.

"Aw, I am so proud of you Mikey!" she said hugging him and Monroe shook her head and laughed as did Michael. "So what does this mean, are you guys dating?" she asked, growing more and more curious.

"Well, we went on a date… if that is what you are asking" Michael replied.

"Yes! That is what I am asking! Where?" Kristina asked.

"Dad's restaurant" Michael told her, and Kristina nodded her head in approval.

"Well this is so exciting! Well not so much that it was Dad's restaurant, I didn't even know you could actually eat there …You guys can go to homecoming together! Well, only if I can find a date that is. It just wouldn't be fair if you went without me"

"I think you are getting a little bit ahead of yourself, homecoming isn't until the beginning of November" Monroe told her, but Kristina ignored her.

"You guys will be together then, it will all be so perfect" Kristina told them both. It was good for Kristina to have something normal to focus on like her new friend dating her brother, and homework, and homecoming, rather than Keifer and the abuse.

After they got Kristina to stop talking about homecoming and prom and senior trip, they actually did start to sit down and do some homework. They ordered a pizza for dinner and Kristina and Michael left around 6pm. After they left, Monroe cleaned up and then heard her parent's car pull up, so she decided to get in the shower. After she was done in the shower she went right to her room and got changed into pajamas and turned on some music and decided to sketch. All this talk about homecoming and her and Michael's date made her really wonder what their status was. She knew she liked Michael and she would maybe like a relationship with him, but she was curious about how he felt. She knew he has been through a lot and wasn't really experienced in relationships, and neither was she. Well she wasn't experienced in healthy relationships. Monroe then realized she wasn't going to be able to sleep until she talked to Michael. She put on a hoodie and walked out onto the deck that extended from her bedroom to call him.

"Hey" Michael answered, sleepily.

"Hi, awe I'm sorry were you asleep?" Monroe asked nervously.

"Yeah but its fine, are you ok?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to talk to you about something"

"Ok, go ahead."

"Well…"

"Well..."

She giggled as he repeated her. "Alright I don't know how to bring this up without it being awkward. But talking to Kristina today about us going out to dinner and you bringing me flowers and homecoming and all that just made me wonder our status was. I mean I know you have been through a lot lately so I understand if you don't want anything more than a friendship, but it's getting kind of confusing"

"Well, I wanted to talk about this in person. But, Monroe, I'd like to be your boyfriend, if that's okay with you" Michael said. He knew the words he spoke were true, but they still scared the hell out of him.

Monroe smiled widely. "That is perfectly okay with me." She said back, she was so glad she called him, even if he did want the conversation to be in person.

"Ok, I'm glad" he said, and smiled.

"Alright, well I'll let you go back to sleep." Monroe said laughing.

"Well thank you, I'll see you in the morning" He replied.

"Goodnight" She said, and hung up the phone. Now that that was all cleared up she started to feel pretty tired and decided to get to bed.


	5. yes, you make me happy

Awww man, I want reviews

I dont own anyone, besides MONROE!

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The next few weeks went by pretty fast. School was flying by, which was unusual; and it was getting closer to Monroe's birthday. Monroe met up with Michael after last period and they walked back to her car together since Kristina was staying after for student government. Michael was in the middle of telling her the latest drama between his father, mother, stepfather, and everyone else he knew, to be honest.

"Ok, so Brenda is your dad's ex wife?"

"No, ex fiancé, he left her at the altar. For her own good because he thought it wasn't safe for her and him to be together. But, a few weeks ago Jason got a call to come save Brenda. So he goes there and realizes it would be easier to protect her here. So now she's been here and my dad is realizing he still loves her, Jax is hanging all over her, and my mom is going nuts from all the attention Brenda is getting from the three men in her life" Michael replied, looking obviously stressed.

"What is Jason protecting her from? And why Jason? She was all the way in Rome. I don't get it" Monroe asked, pulling into her driveway.

"Well apparently this man named "the Balkan" is after her and nobody knows why. Well Jason thinks she knows why but she's not telling anyone. And Jason got a call because they were married at one time in the past to protect Brenda but it was annulled. So now Jason feels obligated to take care of her cause that is just how he is" Michael told her and she nodded.

"So why is your stepdad obsessed with her too?"

"Apparently they were involved after her and my dad ended things, and there were unresolved feelings. And my mom is mad because Jax is planning on making a safe suite for Brenda at the Metro Court, and since Jason is occupied taking care of Brenda she is getting jealous because Jason is always there for my mom." Monroe looked at him surprised as they sat down next to each other on the couch.

"Wow that is crazy. This woman is like a goddess or something. All these men disheveling their lives for her, I hope she's grateful" Monroe added, as she sat cross legged and turned on the TV.

"Not really. And I really don't understand the obsession; I mean you're a million times more beautiful. And have a better personality. She really doesn't seem grateful for anything, she's being selfish not letting Jason help her and hiding things." He said and he looked up to see Monroe smiling at him. He brushed past calling her a 'million times more beautiful' because he wasn't exactly used to complimenting gorgeous women. They still hadn't had a first kiss or anything like that either. Whenever Monroe thinks he is going to kiss her, he backs off and gets extremely nervous. She had learned before that he never really had a girlfriend, but he had to of at least kissed one.

"That was so sweet, thank you" she said, beaming and he smiled.

"You're welcome, and it is true" he stated. They snuggled up and began to watch a movie and started to fall asleep. They awoke to Michael's cell phone ringing, it was his dad.

"Hey dad"

"Hey Michael, I'm making dinner, I was wondering if you and Morgan would like to come over?"

"Well I'm with Monroe right now, but what time?"

"Around 5:30, and tell Monroe to come. I'd like to meet her" He said

"Alright. See you then" Michael said as he ended the call and sighed, rubbing his face from the sleep and Monroe was just staring at him blankly. "What's wrong?" He asked her immediately.

"Oh nothing, sorry … I'm always disoriented when I first wake up" She said, now smiling.

"My dad wants us over for dinner with my brother, if you're up for it. I know it's kind of weird, but I'd like you to come." Michael said, smiling at her.

"Sure. I'd like to. Just let me go get changed." Monroe went into her room and brushed her hair and re-straightened it as quick as possible. She changed into a pair of tight jeans and a button up red shirt with a black lacy cami underneath. She put a black bow in her hair and threw on a pair of red heels after reapplying her makeup. She walked out and Michael was standing up, ready to leave.

"Is it all right if we stop at the loft and to pick up Morgan?" Michael asked her, staring at her a little longer than usual.

"Sure, no problem... Is it okay that were going to your dad's house? With the parole and all?" She asked, nervously.

"Oh yeah it is fine. My dad talked to Clair after what happened at the restaurant. The parole has been lifted, now I just have to do community service every Saturday morning for the next 12 to 18 months" Michael told her and she smiled.

"Oh, you never told me that" she told him.

"I meant to, I guess I forgot. I'm moving back home tomorrow."

"That's great." She said as they got into her car, holding hands. They had developed a routine even though they had only been dating for a few weeks. Every other day they would trade off driving to school together. They would usually hang out at her house because nobody was around to bother them. Sometimes they would walk around the park or the mall, and they would usually go out to dinner. Monroe had gotten a job teaching an art class on Saturdays so they usually would meet after that and go out together. Usually they would hang out with Kristina too. They had gotten into a comfortable pattern and spent a lot of time together. They still hadn't had many personal conversations yet, though.

They got to the loft and Dante and Lulu were there. "Hey Michael, Hey Monroe, What are you guys doing here?" Dante asked.

"I just need to get changed. Were picking up Morgan and going to dad's for dinner" Michael told Dante and Monroe smiled at Dante, even though he looked a little uneasy.

"You don't have to go to dads for dinner; I mean we would love to have you here. It really wouldn't bother us at all actually" Dante offered, hoping they weren't going to Sonny's because he and Lulu made them uncomfortable. He wanted to learn more about Monroe because she definitely made Michael's attitude toward everything change for the better.

"It's alright, dad invited us" Michael told Dante and he sighed.

"How are you doing Monroe? How's the art class?" Lulu asked Monroe, trying to make conversation.

"It is really good, the kids are adorable. I love it" She told her smiling.

"That's good. I wish I was good at things like that" Lulu told her and smiled. A few minutes later Michael came out, dressed in a pair of black jeans and a gray tee. He opened the door and put his hand on the small of Monroe's back as they walked out together. They went to pick up Morgan and then they were on their way to Sonny's house. Monroe was a little nervous about it, but at least she was growing more and more comfortable with Michael.

A few moments later they arrived at Sonny's house and traveled up the path together, letting themselves into the house. Monroe heard a female talking rather loudly as soon as she walked in and saw that Michael was talking to the two bodyguards. All she could catch in conversations between them was name "Brenda". Michael and Morgan walked in ahead of Monroe and the tall brunette stopped talking immediately. She said "Hi" to them and told Sonny she should probably go. She gave Monroe a quick smile before exiting the house. That was first time she had ever seen Brenda in person, but she swore that she looked familiar and the way Brenda stared at her was really odd. But, Monroe decided to shake it off as Sonny started talking to her.

"Hey Monroe, it's really nice to meet you, I've heard a lot about you" Sonny said, smiling at her, showing his cute little dimples. Monroe could understand how he got away with being such a womanizer, with his charm and smile and personality, he had what women looked for, plus the danger to top it all off.

"It's great to finally meet you" she said back, and they shared a quick hug.

Dinner went by rather smoothly. Sonny learned a lot about Monroe. Her interests, how she and Michael met, and how they were planning on going to homecoming together. He thought it was really nice that they were dating; he just hoped neither one of them got hurt. He understood that Michael had a lot of things he needed to work through and he had a mobster for a father, and compared to that, Monroe just seemed like a gorgeous, innocent, young girl. He watched the way Michael stared at her and laughed and smiled at what she said and he could tell Michael had strong feelings for this girl. He just prayed that nothing went wrong.

"So have you met Michael's mother yet?" Sonny asked Monroe, with yet another one of his famous smiles.

"No, not yet. But since he's moving back there, I'm sure I will now." Monroe told him.

"She's a character, so don't mind her. And she can be a little bit crazy, but she has a good heart. Does she know that you both are dating, Michael?" Sonny asked, directing his question at his son.

"Yeah, I've told her… she actually really wants to meet you Monroe, I know you're busy with the art class and everything though, and she's busy with the hotel. But I guess we will have to plan something so she's satisfied" Michael said, smiling at Monroe, who smiled back.

A little bit later, Michael and Monroe dropped Morgan off and decided to get some ice cream and go for a walk along the docks. For most of the time, they walked in comfortable silence, but then Michael decided to speak up about something that had been on his mind lately.

"Monroe… are you happy with me?" Michael asked Monroe, and she stopped and turned to face him.

"What do you mean? Of course I'm happy with you?" She said, unsure of what he meant.

"Nothing, never mind. Sorry" He said quickly, and they both sat down on the bench. Monroe knew she wasn't going to be able to drop this though.

"You're a sweet guy, and you listen to what I have to say, you care about my art, you make me laugh, you like spending time with me, you're never mean, you don't hurt me, I'm definitely happy with you. I don't know why you would ask that" she said to him.

"It's just… I know I'm messed up, and I know it's hard to have personal conversations with me, or be affectionate. I know that's a big part of a relationship though, and I want to be everything I can be for you."

"You really don't have to worry about any of that Michael. I know you've been through a lot, and I know the time will come when we can have deeper conversations and we can be affectionate. But to be honest with you, I'm not exactly ready to be intimate with you either. I had a really bad relationship before this. Close to what Kristina had with Keifer, so it's going to take time for me too" She confided in him, for the first time.

"Wow, I had no idea. You've never even mentioned anything like that. I'm so sorry you had to go through something like that" Michael told her, and all he could think about is how much he wanted to kill someone that would hurt her.

"I know, it's hard for me to talk about. But it's in the past… Anyways, to make sure were clear. I'm a 100% happy with you." She said. "I guess we should get home, school tomorrow and all" She finished, and Michael groaned, but nodded his head in agreement. He hated leaving her every night, knowing she was alone. He just wanted to hold her all night long; he knew it would make both of their nightmares disappear.

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Let me know what you think, this is my first GH fanfic!


	6. a surprising twist

This chapter is a short, but really important one. Probably will have another chapter up tonight. and that one will involve Jason and Sam.

I dont own anyone but Monroe.

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The next weekend was two weekends before homecoming and Kristina and Monroe decided they were going into the city to go dress shopping. They had already been to 4 different boutiques and spent at least 40 minutes in all of them to come out with nothing. Until finally they walked into a boutique called Genesis and both Kristina and Monroe fell in love with numerous dresses. They were having fun trying on all different dresses and Kristina finally decided on a one shoulder embellished black dress with white flower pattern running down one side of the dress. It slit up the one side a little bit and she also found black heels to go with it.

"That is hot, Kristina, Tyler is going to love that on you" Monroe told her and Kristina smiled, she always needed an extra boost of confidence and was happy with Monroe had found her a date. It was a boy that was in Monroe's English class that was sweet and quiet. Monroe kind of thought that maybe he was after her but Monroe steered him in the right direction. Monroe finally settled on a simple red dress, it was a little shorter than she would usually go, but she liked it because it was a halter and openings at each side that were filled in with black lace. She found a cute black hairpiece to go with it along with black, four inch pumps that had a bow at the tip. She was obsessed with bows and she definitely liked how it all came together.

Kristina wanted to stop and grab a coffee and Monroe liked the idea so they walked into the closest one they could find. While waiting in line, the guy in front of them turned around and they were met with a recognized face. It was Ryan, someone in their class. They began talking and the three sat down together at a small table. Ryan was attractive, and he knew it. This was a turn off for Monroe, but a turn on for Kristina. It was interesting seeing the three interact. Monroe knew that Ryan was athletic and also a goody goody, she also knew that he hung out with a lot of guys that always started problems with Michael. This made Monroe want to get up and leave, but she decided to stay with them because she had never heard Ryan personally attack Michael, and Monroe herself wouldn't want to be judged. Monroe listened to Ryan talk about football for a few more minutes when she realized her phone went off, she looked at the ID and saw that it was Michael. She excused herself and answered the phone in the corner of the shop where no one was sitting.

"Hey, what's up?" Monroe said as she answered the phone.

"Nothing really, just wondering if you and Kristina were on your way back yet, I thought we could all grab dinner or something" He said sweetly.

"Oh, no. We are at this coffee shop and we ran into Ryan from school and decided to sit with him for a little."

"Ryan? The quarterback?" Michael asked, and Monroe could hear the annoyance in his voice.

"Yeah, he's nice, kind of full of himself, but nice" she said laughing lightly, but she heard silence on the other end of the phone.

"Alright, well I'll talk to you later then" Michael said shortly, and hung up. He immediately regretted it.

Monroe looked and saw that the call had been disconnected and she put it away into her purse. She was a little upset with how Michael had reacted since he was never like that, but she decided to shrug it off. She went back to the table and Kristina informed her that Ryan wanted them to go to the next football game. Kristina seemed pretty excited about it, but Monroe had to pretend.

It was around 7pm when they finally got into their cars to leave the city and Monroe didn't make it home almost 9 after she had stayed at Kristina's for a little while. Kristina talked the whole way home about Ryan and Monroe was surprised because she really thought Kristina was into Tyler. Monroe shrugged it off, Kristina was newly single and finally getting out of mess that Keifer left, Monroe should be happy that Kristina wasn't swearing off boys and crying in her room all the time.

Monroe decided to call Michael because they hadn't really talked at all that day. He picked up on the first ring, which made Monroe laugh despite her dislike to the way he acted earlier in the day.

"Hey" Monroe said.

"Okay, before anything else. I want to apologize for being a complete asshole earlier. I let jealousy get the best of me for a second and I shouldn't of reacted that way at all. It was really immature and stupid" he said quickly, he said it so fast Monroe almost couldn't understand it, but she did.

"It is fine Michael, I'm just glad you're not in a bad mood now. And Ryan really is nothing to worry about. He was pretty annoying to be honest." She told him and he was now at ease.

"Ok, so how was shopping with my sister all day" Michael said, wanting to change subjects.

"It was fun; we both got everything we need for homecoming. I'll have to show you the dress whenever you come over so you know what to get to match" Monroe told her.

"Ok, could I come over tonight? There is some major stuff going on and I just wanna get out of the house"

"Sure, I'll see you in a little." Monroe hung up the phone and smiled, she was excited he was coming over because she did wanna see him.

Ten minutes later Monroe heard Michael pulling up and she met him at the door and let him in as they sat down on the couch.

"So what is going on at your house?" Monroe asked, looking at Michael's strained face.

"Well Jax and my mom are fighting constantly because of Brenda, and I'm pretty sure since my mom has been snooping around she is trying to find a way to hurt Brenda because she is so mad at everything. And I know my mom, I know she has gotten plenty of information to stir up something" Michael said leaning into the couch.

"What has been going on with Brenda now?" Monroe asked Michael, curious because she just wanted this all to end so that Michael wouldn't be so stressed out anymore. Even though he wasn't exactly involved he was receiving the repercussions and she also knew Dante was sharing with him all his burdens and swearing Michael to secrecy, and Michael was loyal to a fault when it came to things like that.

"Well, Dante is guarding Brenda right now whenever Jason is out handling things and Max and Milo aren't always enough, and Brenda and Dante tried to pretend they didn't know each other, but apparently Dante guarded Brenda in 2007 and they had a romantic relationship. But they are hiding it for a couple reasons. Mainly because of my dad and because of Lulu." Michael told her.

"Well in 2007, isn't that when this whole mess with the Balkan started? So shouldn't Dante have more information? Even if Brenda doesn't want to give any info?"

"Yeah, and Jason knows she has more info but she isn't fessing up or giving any information at all, and Dante is hiding things for her to. All Brenda told Jason was that she killed the Balkan's son in a struggle and that is what Dante told me" Michael told her, he felt like he could confide in her with anything.

"If she killed the Balkan's son three years ago, why would he becoming after her now?" Monroe asked.

"They just discovered the body a few months ago in NJ and there is no proof of who killed him, but I'm guessing the Balkan knows it had to be Brenda" Michael told her.

"This is going to sound really weird but, that is exactly what happened with my brother" Monroe confided in Michael.

"What do you mean?"

"My brother went missing three years ago and they just found the body a few months ago, and discovered that he was shot" Monroe told him.

"Really… That is weird. It can't be the same person though. Because this guy that Brenda killed his name was Alexander Pelingro or something like that" Michael told her and watched Monroe's face go white as a ghost.

"Alexander Peligross. Michael that is my brother." Monroe said in shock and confusion, as Michael looked at her with equal emotions.

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Review :) love ya!


	7. the truth unfolds, & a first kiss shared

Just a quick note: No Siobhan in this story .. I don't think I'd be able to complicate things as well as GH writers do. I might bring her in later as just someone who comes into town because I like her though, minus working for the Balkan lol…and Lucky didn't go undercover, he is still helping with the Balkan though, for the sake of keeping Port Charles safe. Also, I'm assuming I'm making Jason's PH out to be a lot larger than it actually is, oh well.

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"Alexander Peligross. Michael that is my brother." Monroe said with shock and confusion. Michael had those emotions running through him as well.

"But that would make your dad the Balkan, that's impossible. And how does your brother have a different last name then you?" he asked, there were so many things that just didn't add up.

"My brother changed his last name when he was like 21. I never knew why he did it, and I never really cared either. Maybe he didn't want to be connected to the Kennedy hotel or something. But his name was Alexander Peligross, and went missing in 2007. It has to be, my dad has to be the one after Brenda. And I never knew." Monroe was in shock right now, it was all possible because she didn't know much about her parents, besides their wealth. But, how could they be such horrible people.

"Well what do you want to do? Do you want to go tell Jason what you know?" Michael asked her, he could tell she was about to break down.

"Yeah, we have to. I mean that's the right thing to do. But Jason is going to have to realize that he can't kill my parents and get away with it." She told Michael.

"I know; I'd never expect you to keep quiet if he hurt them" Michael said, understanding that something like that would be out of the question.

"No, it's not that. They are two very well known people, with a lot of security and now I'm sure they know a lot of people and Jason or whoever would never get away with it … they would have to go to the cops with it. No matter what the after math would be for Brenda and Dante" Monroe told Michael. In a matter of minutes her whole life was falling apart. The only person she cared about might lose her brother. It was just a really big mess, but she found the courage to stand up and tell him that she wanted to go to Jason's now.

Michael drove Monroe's car over to Jason's so Monroe wouldn't have to drive while she was upset. Jason had never even met Monroe because he was so busy with everything else going on in his life. Michael knocked on the door quietly and Jason let them in. "What's the matter? I'm really surprised to see you here." Jason said, almost in a panic. "Who is this?" he asked when he saw a young brunette walking in slowly behind Michael.

"This is Monroe, my girlfriend" Michael told Jason, although that was nowhere near as important as what Jason was going to find out tonight.

"Nice to meet you." Jason said, and Monroe nodded her head shyly. Jason could tell something was up, and so could Sam as she got up and walked next to Jason staring at the fragile girl in front of her. "What can I do for you guys?" Jason asked, looking back and forth between Monroe and Michael.

"Well, Monroe knows something that we think you need to know." Michael said. This earned an utterly confused look from Jason and Sam.

"Well, okay. What is it sweetie?" Sam asked, and finally Monroe looked up at them with puffy eyes.

"Is Brenda here?" Monroe asked, nervously.

"No she is out with the bodyguards. Visiting her friend and her friend's daughter" Sam replied.

"Why don't you sit down" Jason said, he could tell whatever this girl in front of him had to say was going to be something very serious.

"Ok." Monroe said as she sat down and let out a deep sigh. "Okay, when I first met Brenda at Sonny's I thought she looked familiar but I just brushed it off because she was a model and I'd figured I had seen her in magazines or something. But, today Michael was filling me in about everything he knows about Brenda and the Balkan and everything that has been going on because Dante tells him a lot. And he told me about how Brenda and Dante are connected because Brenda killed a man named Alexander Peligross in self defense." At this point, Monroe was in tears and Jason was getting more and more confused. He also didn't understand why she knew so much information, or why Dante was confiding in Michael. "Well, Alexander Peligross is my brother. He went missing in 2007. My parents or my father is the Balkan and that is who is after Brenda." Monroe began to cry hysterically and Michael held her as Sam stood up and began to pace around the room, as did Jason.

"So where can I find the Balkan? What is your father's name? Is he at your house right now?" Jason asked, for the first time in a long time he was completely floored.

"His name is Trenton Kennedy. You would never be able to kill him and get away with it" she said, standing up.

"I would not expect you to give me all this information and keep quiet if something happened to your father" Jason told her. "Don't worry" He said, trying to calm her.

"No, that isn't what I mean. I could care less what happens to him. If they hurt people, as did my brother, then they deserve what they get. They were never parents to me…. What I mean is they own a huge five star hotel named The Kennedy in NYC. They are really well known, you wouldn't be able to kill them without it tracing back to you. They have a huge amount of wealth and I'm sure the resources to never let you get away with murdering them" She said, she seemed way too rational for the tribulation she was about to be put through. She was talking about her parents being murdered like it meant nothing to her. But then again, Sam and Jason didn't understand what it was like growing up completely alone even though her parents could have been there for her and just chose not to be. They didn't understand how bad it hurt her or how closed off she felt from them.

"You know, your dad is involved in some pretty dirty work and illegal things. All over the East Coast and in Europe. Do you notice him being gone a lot?" Jason asked, trying to pry out as much information as he could.

"My parents are never home. I've been raised by nannies my whole life until now, I'm just on my own at the house. They just give me money and hire maids. I see them stop in the house maybe once a month. They could be out doing all of that and I would never know" She told her. They talked a little bit longer and Jason got as much information as possible. He had gotten all the information he would ever need to take the Balkan down, but he knew that was too dangerous. Monroe was right, if they were public figures and established in high society as well, he would never get away with killing them. It would send him straight to prison. He had to catch them in the dirty work, and now that he knew who they were. He could do just that, with the help of Lucky.

"Okay, Monroe and Michael; I want you guys to sleep here tonight. Michael, I'll call your mom. You guys can just sleep in the guest room. Brenda's is the one on the right though, so the other one." Michael nodded his head. Just as they were walking up the stairs they heard Brenda come in, raising hell because she could tell something was going on. Sam decided she was going to go upstairs and see if Monroe and Michael wanted to borrow some pajamas from her and Jason. She really didn't have the patience to deal with Brenda the way all the men around them did. Sam was really surprised Jason was letting two teenagers sleep in the same bed under his roof, but there was too much going on for Jason to even notice it might not be the best idea under usual circumstances. Michael was 18 though, and Monroe couldn't be much younger, Sam assumed.

She lightly knocked on the door, which pulled Monroe and Michael out of the hug they were sharing. Monroe went to open the door.

"Hey, I was just seeing if you guys wanted to borrow some pajamas from us. I know it's not very comfortable to sleep in jeans." She said smiling at them both.

"Thanks, that's really nice of you." Monroe said, smiling for the first time that night.

"It is no problem; I'll be right back with a pair of Jason's sweats and my pajamas." Sam replied. True to her word, Sam was back in a matter of seconds with a pair of socks, a white tee shirt, and black pajama pants for Monroe and a pair of black sweatpants for Michael.

"Thank you Sam" Michael said.

"You're welcome; let us know if you need anything." Sam said, and she closed the door behind herself.

"The bathroom is the fir…" Michael was in the middle of telling Monroe where the bathroom was but she was already stripped down to her black boy shorts and lacy black bra. He couldn't help but stare at her, but he also felt somewhat uneasy at the same time. She put on the pants and tee shirt and sat down on the bed, she pulled out her phone and focused on that for a minute and that's when Michael decided to change into sweats. When he was done he sat down next to her and she put her phone on the nightstand next to the bed. "I know you aren't ok so I'm not even going to ask that, but do you want to talk" Michael asked her, unsure of what to do. He cared about this girl a lot and he didn't want to do anything to make what she was going through worse.

"I guess. I mean I know this sounds selfish but I don't really care what happens to them. If they go to jail or whatever, but like I'm only sixteen years old, seventeen in 3 days. Where am I going to go? They are getting all their money illegally so it is all going to be gone. I have no family. The only thing I can do is emancipate myself, and then I'm left on the street." Michael could tell she was about to cry.

"Hey, Hey, Hey, listen. Do not even worry about any of that. I'm sure the judge will work something out for you in your favor. And if not, my dad, Jason, and my Mom and Jax make more money than they know what to do with; as well as my grandparents as a last resort. Any of them can set you up until you are done college. I promise you. I won't let anything like that happen to you." He said and she wrapped her arms around his stomach, burying her head into his chest.

"Thanks for saying that. I just don't wanna be a burden to anyone" She told him honestly. She wasn't used to relying on anyone. Her parents always gave her money, but that was it. She didn't need anything else from them and she didn't want strangers giving her hand outs.

"You wouldn't be, I've been through a lot and they would all do whatever they could to make things okay for me. And seeing you struggle would not be okay to me. They would do whatever they could for you because they would also be doing it for me, and also because that is how they all are." Michael said, smiling at her, and she finally smiled back at him. She then went to kiss him and she was surprised when he kissed back, it was as if they were thinking the same thing. Pretty soon she was lying on top of him on the bed with his hands tangled in her hair. Michael's hands started roaming but then he moved them back up to an appropriate spot. He soon realized exactly what was happening and he pulled away, Monroe was upset, but didn't let him see it as she climbed off of him. "I'm sorry, I just don't think now is a good time for that, with everything going on" he said looking at her. She hid her feelings with a smile and a nod of the head but he could tell something was wrong.

"What? What is wrong?" Michael asked, sitting up and looking at her.

"Nothing" she said, looking down.

"You are lying, tell me what is wrong" he said back.

"I don't know, just sometimes, I feel like you aren't attracted to me at all. I mean it took over a month for you to kiss me just now, and we finally do kiss, and you are the first to pull away." She said quietly.

Michael sighed deeply, not sure how to go about handling this. All these thoughts were racing through his head and he could feel his throat closing up. Monroe could see how upset he was getting.

"Hey Michael, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to tell you how you feel. It's just how I feel. It isn't important right now. I promise, I'm not mad." She said, trying to get him to calm down, but she could see in his eyes that there was so much he had bottled up.

"If I tell you something. Will you promise not to push me to talk about it in detail until I'm ready?"

"Oh god yeah, I swear on it Michael. I'd never push you to talk about something you didn't want to. I want you to know you can tell me anything though." She said, giving him a small smile.

"Okay, well. Before Jason got into jail to protect me and teach me how to protect myself there was this guy that kept harassing me." Monroe nodded her head, urging him to continue.

"He assaulted me, physically and once it was sexually. To the point where I couldn't ever sleep and I always was on defense mode" It was the first time he had ever admitted to it. The man didn't rape him and it really wasn't even close to being considered rape, but the experience was traumatic.

"And no one knows but me?" Monroe asked him, and he nodded his head.

"Awe baby, I'm so sorry you are keeping that inside. And I promise as soon as you're ready to talk about it, I am here to listen" She told him, running her hands through his hair and resting it on the back of his neck.

"I just feel so pathetic, like how could you want to be with someone that happened to. It is wrong, and I really am messed up from it."

"Michael, you really cannot think like that. And once you realize how much I care about you and how much that doesn't matter to me, you will be okay. It will get better" She told him and he was already feeling better just by saying it out loud and not getting a completely terrible reaction. This was his girlfriend, someone who would eventually want to have sex with him and she wasn't disgusted or scared by it. She didn't think he was messed up; it made such a difference to him.

"I really did get so lucky meeting you, you are perfect for me" Michael said, kissing her once more, quickly. Monroe smiled at him and looked past him at the time.

"Wow it is almost 1am. I wonder what Jason has decided to do."

"I'm sure nothing is set yet, I'm positive he will want to talk to Lucky." Michael told her.

"Who is Lucky?" Monroe asked curiously.

"A cop that they trust, he might have a way they can go about doing it to keep Brenda safe." Michael said and Monroe nodded her head. She had just now realized what a long day she had, and how tired she was getting. Michael decided to turn the TV on to get her mind off thinking about her parents and Brenda. They laid down and cuddled up next to each other. Soon, Monroe was asleep, and after hearing her steady soft breathing, Michael also drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

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Review because I love it :) Spinelli, Sam, and Monroe moments in the next chapter. In upcoming chapters the Balkan situation will be handled, there will be Monroe's Birthday, Madison Prep Homecoming, and Thanksgiving.


	8. nicknames & getting comfortable

Sorry for going so long without an update! My boyfriend was home from a college that is 5 hours away so I was spending as much time with him as possible! But now hes back at school and I still have one more week off, so plenty of chapters to come :) Hope everyone had a good holiday and new years! 3 Read and Review :)

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The next morning Sam woke Jason up at 6am. "Are you going to go wake up Michael and Monroe and see if they want to go to school?" Sam asked, nudging Jason with her arm.

"I know they aren't going to. Michael was probably up all night with Monroe. She has a lot going on" Jason told her, knowing that getting out of the comfort of his warm bed and over to the next room was going to pointless.

"You still might want to see. Just in case" Sam said smiling at him. Sam decided it was okay to sleep there that night because Michael and Monroe were there also, she didn't feel as awkward there with Jason and having just Brenda in the guest bedroom and Spinelli pining for her. Monroe and Michael would hopefully break the tension.

"Okay, I will" Jason said yawning, knowing Sam would be relentless about this. He stood up slowly and made his way over to the guest bedroom and knocked lightly on the door. He heard nothing. He opened the door and saw them cuddling on the bed together. He almost smiled for a second; he was amazed that Michael was this comfortable with a girl that Jason hadn't even had the pleasure of meeting before last night. "Hey Michael, Monroe … Are you guys going to go to school?" Jason asked. He heard groans and mumbles, along with no movement. _That's what I thought_; Jason said to himself as he closed the door and went back to his room. He shook his head _No_ to Sam and then got back into bed, moving in close to next to her.

At around 12pm Monroe started to stir. She looked around her completely confused as to where she was. She sat up and then everything came rushing back at once. She noticed that Michael wasn't there in bed with her anymore though. She stood up and decided to walk down the stairs, feeling really uncomfortable because she didn't know her way around and she had only been here the one time. This time. When she made it down the stairs she heard Michael talking to someone in the kitchen. She walked towards it and saw Sam and Michael standing there. "Hey Monroe, coffee?" Sam asked, Monroe nodded her head and Sam poured her a cup as Michael kissed the top of her head and hugged her real quick. Monroe really liked Sam, she had been so friendly to her from the moment she met her. When Sam handed her the cup she thanked her and then began to drink it after adding sugar and cream that was conveniently out in front of the coffee pot.

"I just sent Max out to get you two some food from Kelly's for lunch since we don't cook much here. Michael said you would be okay with a chicken Caesar wrap? I can call Max if you want something else"

"No, no that's good. Actually it sounds amazing. I haven't eaten since lunch time yesterday." Monroe said, realizing how hungry she was now that they were on the subject of food.

"Hey, I'm going to take a shower real quick, will you be okay?" Michael asked Monroe.

"Yeah, I'll be fine" she said giving him a quick smile as he put his mug in the sink and went to run up the stairs. She did feel comfortable around Sam.

"So where is Jason?" Monroe asked as they sat at the kitchen table together.

"Oh he went to go discuss things with his friend Lucky." Monroe nodded at her.

"Michael said he would probably go to Lucky" and Sam nodded her head at her.

"Are you and Jason married?" Monroe asked.

"No, I have my own apartment but I stay here a lot. We're just dating. Hopefully one day we will be married, but things are just a little too crazy" Sam said, confiding in her.

"How long have you been dating?"

"On and off for about six years."

"That's nice. Is Brenda gone?"

"Yeah she is out, trying to sort things out. She is kind of having a break down with everything that is going on." Sam told her and Monroe nodded her head.

"Are you okay with her living here?" Monroe asked.

"Not really, but I mean. Jason is loyal to no end, so he has to see through and make sure she is okay"

"Yeah, I wouldn't be okay with it either. But Jason is admirable for handling things." Monroe said. "I hope what I told him will help get it all straightened out. So everyone's lives can go back to normal" Monroe said and Sam smiled at her.

"What you told him is definitely helpful to them and you are a very strong girl for handling things so well. I mean they are your parents." Sam said, she didn't really understand Monroe's situation, sure she was raised by nannies, but that doesn't mean her parents couldn't be around for her sometimes.

"It is complicated, really. I mean growing up they were never around, neither was my brother. I was always on my own. Even on birthdays and holidays. I never called them mom or dad and they were fine with it. I'm not even sure why they went through with having me because they never seemed very eager to have children and they could have easily given me up for adoption. But, they had a reputation to uphold. So, to find out all this bad stuff about them almost makes me feel better. I knew I didn't belong with them, and this just verified it completely." She confided in Sam, and it was odd, because she had never confided in anyone besides Michael in her entire life.

"I know what it's like to not feel close to your parents. My adoptive mother wanted nothing to do with me and my adoptive father taught me how to run cons at the age of thirteen and he basically used me for that. It wasn't until I came to Port Charles that my life started looking up and I met my biological mother, Alexis."

"And Jason…" Monroe said smiling at her, and Sam smiled back.

"Are you a hopeless romantic?" Sam asked, laughing.

"You could say that."

"You would get along great with my sister then" Sam replied.

"Oh I do, I love Kristina and Molly. Kristina is one of my best friends" She told Sam and Sam was happy to hear this. Sam knew that Kristina was having trouble with the girls and boys at school ever since the Keifer incident. It was nice to hear that Kristina was making friends. They made small talk for a little longer before hearing the incessant chatting of a man talking to himself. Monroe turned around to see a studious looking man walking towards her and Sam who were now standing next to the pool table. He stopped in his tracks when he looked at Monroe.

"Who may I ask is this, my Fair Samantha?" Spinelli asked Sam, and Monroe gave a confused look at the way he was talking and Sam rolled her eyes.

"Spinelli, this is Monroe. Monroe, this is Spinelli. He works for Jason and I. Spinelli, Monroe is Michael's girlfriend"

"I see. Young Sir's beautiful lady friend. Your name is Monroe. Much like Marilyn Monroe, the sex icon of her generation. Surely, anything involving sex icon would be a much inappropriate nick name. Although she was also was a glamour icon. I shall nickname you the Glamour Princess. Of course, if that is alright with you" Spinelli directed his question at Monroe, who was utterly confused.

"Uh, sure" she said, with a smile, trying to be polite.

"Oh perfect. You are just as beautiful as The Goddess and The Divine one, but so young, I think it would be proper to give you a nickname involving the word princess. Just like Mister Sir's daughter, the reluctant mob princess." Spinelli kissed her hand and then walked over to the couch with a bounce in his step as he opened up his laptop.

"Can you explain that to me in English?" Monroe whispered to Sam who winked at her.

"He said you are as beautiful as me and Brenda but still so young so it would only be appropriate to add princess into your name. Just like Kristina, her nickname from him is Reluctant Mob Princess. Spinelli gives nicknames to everyone. Michael's is Young Sir, mine is The Goddess or Fair Samantha, and Jason's is Stone Cold. I think that is enough for you to remember for now" Monroe shook her head in agreement and Michael came down the stairs, freshly dressed and looking happy.

"Ah, I see you have met Spinelli. Has he given you a nickname?"

"Yes he has. I believe it is … The glamour princess." Monroe said laughing and Michael smiled at her. It was good to see her laugh after all she had gone through last night.

A few moments later Max walked in the room with a bag from Kelly's and Monroe got overly excited to see food, again she had forgotten how hungry she was until she smelled the french fries. Not eating in twenty four hours was not a good idea for her. Max put the food down at the kitchen table and Sam, Monroe, and Michael sat down to eat.

"The Divine One's diet consists of only the most organic and wholesome food. It is much commendable." Spinelli said in an ooey gooey love struck voice.

"Blech" Monroe made a sound and a face as she stuck a french fry in her mouth. Spinelli just looked back and stared at her and Michael laughed. He came up with new reasons everyday as to why he liked this girl so much.

Being around Monroe and Michael and Spinelli put Sam in a great mood. Whenever Jason wasn't around she often felt lonely, and with Brenda there all the time she felt uncomfortable. If Jason were here right now, with Michael, Spinelli, and "The Glamour Princess", with none of the drama from the Balkan and Brenda, things would really be great. She couldn't wait for it to be that way. Sam assumed that soon she was going to have to tell Monroe what Jason came up with in order to keep Monroe out of harms way.

Monroe had just finished up her meal and picked up everyone's containers from Kelly's to throw them away. She took a sip of her diet coke and sat down at the table. "As much as I love lounging around in my pajamas all day, I really should go home and shower and change my clothes" Monroe said to Michael.

"I don't mean to get in between your conversation but Jason thinks it would be best if you stayed here, Monroe, at least until this situation is cleared up. He doesn't think it's safe for you at home, especially if your dad finds out your connection to the protection of Brenda." Sam told her and she could tell Monroe was unhappy about it.

"Oh, okay. Well, I don't have any clothes though. Or my books for school, and the maid might notice if I'm gone for a long amount of time. We actually do get along, and I know she talks to my parents" Monroe told Sam.

"Max can take care of all of that. He can go to your house and get most of your clothes and your school books. He will talk to the maid also." Sam told Monroe, who felt a little better.

"Can he get my art supplies too? And my laptop?" Monroe asked Sam.

"Sure, write him a list and where to find it in your room. Do you have a house key on you right now?" Sam asked Monroe who got up to get it out of her purse while Michael got her a pen and paper to write down everything.

The list became a bit lengthy, just because she didn't know how long she was going to be there and she did need everything that was on the list. Sam skimmed the list and laughed as she gave it to Max who was making a face at the length of it. Monroe felt bad and Michael could tell as he wrapped an arm around her and kissed her forehead.

"Michael you should go home and see your mom and stuff. She's probably worried about you" Monroe told Michael and Michael groaned in response, not wanting to leave Monroe at all.

"Monroe's right, Carly is probably freaking out. I'm surprised she hasn't been pounding on the door yet." Sam said, glancing at the door quickly, to make sure she didn't jinx herself. Michael nodded his head at them.

"I guess I should go update her. Just the bare details. Do you want to come with me?" Michael asked Monroe, hoping she would say yes.

"I think I'm just going to stay here and take a shower, maybe catch up on homework once Max gets back" Monroe told Michael.

"Okay, well I'll be back later. Text me." Michael said, kissing her quickly on the lips as he grabbed his jacket and walked out. Monroe smiled and Sam watched the interaction smiling as well.

"Is it okay if I ask Kristina to come over after school?" Monroe asked Sam after she had gotten out of the shower. Sam let her borrow a pair of jeans and a shirt; apparently they were the same size, which was really convenient.

"Sure, just ... I know she is going to ask a million questions. Just tell her as little as possible. Even if it seems impossible. I don't want her worrying, and the less people that know about this ordeal, the better." Sam told Monroe and she nodded her head in agreement as she began texting Kristina. A little bit later Max and Milo came in carrying tons of stuff up into the guest room, which was now becoming Monroe's room.

"Does Jason know about this? I don't want him to be shocked when he comes home" Monroe asked Sam nervously.

"Well it was his idea for you to stay here. And he knows how teenagers are about their belongings. I've been texting him, it is perfectly fine." Sam didn't mention that Jason heard Monroe crying to Michael last night about having nowhere to go after her parents were put in jail or whatever else may happen to them. Jason would do whatever he could for Michael, including providing a home for his girlfriend. It was amazing how fast Jason could make things happen. He heard one small conversation about Michael and Monroe being worried what would happen to her, and boom, the next day she was moving into the penthouse. Sam thought it was so nice of him, and she loved him so much for the things he did for the people he cared about.

Monroe was really grateful for Jason and Sam, and of course, for Michael. She didn't know what she would do if her parents were about to be brought to attention as criminals and not having anywhere to go. She still couldn't believe they were dangerous people. When she really thought about it though, they could be anything… the most generous people in the world, the wealthiest people in the world, serial killers, rapists, or just average people and she would have no idea because her parents weren't really parents. After getting lost in her thoughts for a little bit too long, she heard a knock at the door. Monroe saw who it was through the peephole, and let Kristina into the penthouse.

"Okay, so I have a million and half questions and you or Michael need to answer all of them. This is crazy!" Kristina said in one quick breath as she walked through the doorway and spun around to face Monroe. Sam was hiding in the kitchen, not wanting to mess up whatever way Monroe wanted to tell Kristina what was happening.

"Calm down Kristina, let's go upstairs" Monroe told Kristina who followed her up the stairs. As they walked into the spare bedroom, Kristina was shocked to see a lot of teenage looking things in the room. Boxes and boxes of clothing, art work strewn about, shoes, make up, everything she would think to see at Monroe's bedroom at home.

"Alright, this is even crazier than I imagined… you are living with Jason?" Kristina asked sitting down on the bed.

"Yes, for now, at least. My parents are dangerous people, and may be involved with the Balkan mess, so I have to stay here for safety reasons." Monroe told Kristina, hoping this would be enough information for Kristina.

"How are they involved? Do they want to kill Brenda? Did you know they were dangerous?"

"They are involved in a very big way, I'm not sure how big and I can't go into much detail with that, I'm sure they want to harm Brenda as does everyone coming after her, and I never knew they were dangerous until very recently. I do want to tell you everything I know but it's a lot safer if you don't know and I really don't want Jason and Sam mad at me after everything they are doing for me" Monroe told Kristina, and Kristina nodded understandingly.

"It is okay, I understand. Let's talk about something else. Like, maybe you and Michael" Kristina said, smiling at Monroe who smiled back.

"Well, Michael and I are becoming much closer especially with everything that is going on. And he is great, he really is"

"Have you guys kissed yet?"

"Yes, but that is it… How are you and Tyler?" Monroe asked, doing her best to change the subject. Kristina could understand, and she really didn't want to hear about her brother's love life in detail anyway.

"Were good, I mean were also taking things really slow as well and he's totally understanding. Were not a couple yet though, we don't really have a title and it's nice" Kristina explained to Monroe. The girls talked about Tyler for a little longer and then Kristina told Monroe everything she missed in school that day. She gave Monroe the assignments she missed and helped her do them. The only class Monroe was worried about missing was math anyways, and she was happy to learn they didn't go over a new lesson.

"I have Michael's stuff to… Do you think he will be over here later?" Kristina asked Monroe smiling. "Of course he will" She said in a positive way.

"Yeah I think he will. I haven't heard from him in a few hours though. Which is odd, now that I think of it" Monroe said outloud.

"Well where is your phone? I left mine in my car so if he texted me I haven't gotten it." Kristina said. Monroe looked around the room for a minute and then realized she had left her phone downstairs and hadn't really looked at since Kristina texted her last.

"I left it downstairs, I'll be right back" Monroe said and went down the stairs quickly. She saw that Jason and Sam were sitting on the couch together. There talking had stopped as soon as Monroe reached the bottom step. Monroe still felt awkward around Jason. "Hi, I just came down to get my phone. Sorry if I interrupted anything" Monroe said, feeling more and more uncomfortable.

"No, hon. you are fine. I'm going to make some spaghetti in a little while, would you like some?" Sam asked Monroe.

"Yeah, that's cool. Thank you" Monroe said, she couldn't help but feel happy about this. She never really sat down and ate dinner with adults; she knew that was a family thing that she was never really a part of because she had never been a part of a family. "And Jason, thank you for letting me stays here. I know you have a lot going on with Brenda living here already; I promise I won't be as much of a pain." She said and Jason couldn't help but smile at her, as did Sam.

"You are an important person to Michael, so you are an important person to Sam and I. Just let one of us know if you need anything" Jason told her and Monroe felt better about the situation already. She went to walk up the stairs when she heard Kristina coming down the steps.

"I've got to get going, my mom wants me home for dinner because last night and the night before I was with Tyler. So I'm going to get going. Bye Sam and Jason." She waved goodbye to Sam and Jason and hugged Monroe before leaving. Monroe went up the stairs and sat on the bed as she opened her phone and saw that she had three missed texts from Michael.

_Michael- Hey my mom wants me to spend time with her and Josslyn so I guess I will be here for awhile._

_Michael- Did you want to do something later?_

_Michael- Hello?_

_Monroe- Sorry, Kristina came over and I forgot my phone downstairs. I have your assignments you missed today. Kristina left them with me._

_Michael- Alright thanks. So what are you doing now?_

_Monroe- Well, Kristina just left and Sam said she is going to cook spaghetti for Jason and me and her. So I guess I'm waiting for dinner since I already did the homework. How about you?_

_Michael- Just hanging out with Joss. My mom was here but she just left. Did you want to get together tonight?_

_Monroe- Yeah. I feel like I should ask Jason and Sam if it's okay for you to come hang out. I mean it his Jason's house and even though he's your uncle I'm sure he's not used to having two teens in his house all the time. I don't know…_

_Michael- Yeah, I guess you could make sure it's okay, even though I know it will be. That's really nice of you though._

_Monroe- Well with everything there doing for me, I figured I could at least be polite. Lol._

_Michael- Ha-ha, alright well let me know what they say after dinner._

_Monroe- Will do. _

After she was done texting Michael, Monroe decided to organize her things a little. Even though growing up she had a maid, she was still a very organized person on her on. She was realizing that his bedroom was a little bit smaller than her one at home and she kind of began to miss her house. She loved the way she had designed her bedroom at home and this one was definitely bare. The walls were white, with hardwood flooring, and one painting. The plus was a walk in closet, queen sized bed, vanity, and dresser. She put away as much as she could and then heard Sam calling for her and telling her that spaghetti was done. She walked down the stairs, carefully with three empty boxes nestled inside of each other in her arms. When she got to the bottom of the steps she set them down.

For some reason she was really nervous about having dinner with Sam and Jason, mostly because she barely knew Jason at all and she felt like she was intruding on their lifestyle. She hope everything went smoothly and she could spend more time with each of them, after all she was living under his roof and Sam was the love of his life.


	9. whatever you say, glamour princess

No reviews from the last chapter I put up, I hope you guys didn't give up on me. I hope you didnt cause I have been writing away and am currently on chap 13! :) Thanks to everyone that did review before and I hope you continue to read and review :)

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When she reached the bottom of the steps she set down the boxes and looked over at Jason who was sitting on the couch, watching her quietly.

"Where should I put these?" Monroe asked Jason who was standing up from the couch.

"Just leave them at the door; I'll take them to the recycling when I'm on my way out after dinner." Jason told her and Monroe did what he said. Monroe was surprised he said he was going to get rid of them, she figured he would keep them stored away somewhere for the next time she had to move her things. Maybe he and Sam planned on having her there for awhile. She shook that thought from her head, even though it wasn't such a bad idea, but she was sure Jason would be able to get boxes from anywhere and throwing them away was no indication of him wanting her to stay there for long.

Sam had set the table with a candle and had wine glasses for her and Jason, and iced water for Monroe. It was so weird for her to sit down and have dinner with Jason and Sam, almost like she was part of a family or something. She was so used to eating dinner by herself, or just with her and Michael, it was weird to sit down with adults and talk. At least she had Sam, who she was becoming really comfortable around.

"I got to know Monroe pretty well today, she plans on going to New York Academy of the Arts next year and she works at an art studio for kids." Sam told Jason smiling at Monroe who was cutting her spaghetti into little pieces. Sam wanted to steer the conversation away from Monroe's parents and Sam had already told Jason about keeping Monroe's parents off topic before they all sat down to eat.

"That's nice. What do you want to do after college?"

"I want to illustrate children's books, and also do freelance. Maybe later in life teach art at a high school or college. I have a lot of experience with freelance and teaching already" Monroe told Jason. Jason was happy to know that the girl living under his roof was very normal and seemed happy as opposed to the people surrounding her. He didn't know if he would be able to handle another drama queen like Brenda in the house, but so far Monroe had been very calm. They made small talk for a little bit longer and were even laughing together. From an outside viewer the three of them may look like they had known each other for a long time, or were even family. Jason and Sam learned that Monroe's birthday was in two days, and Sam made a mental note of it so she could do something special for her.

"So where is Brenda?" Monroe asked the first to bring up any serious topic. Jason figured it was alright to answer that even though Sam seemed to shift in her seat slightly, hoping the conversation didn't take a turn for the worse. Everything had been going so well so far.

"She is out with Sonny" Jason told her.

"Oh, is she safe?" Monroe asked curiously.

"She has Max and Milo with her, Dante is going to be coming here soon to guard you, probably not for long because Brenda, Max, and Milo shouldn't be out too late. I think after everything that has happened Brenda is finally learning that what I ask her to do does matter." Jason told Monroe and Monroe nodded. Jason was surprised when Monroe didn't argue about having a guard, or guards, he was rather pleased with it.

"Is it okay if Michael comes over?" Monroe asked.

"He can come over whenever he wants" Jason told Monroe and Monroe smiled. After dinner was over Monroe helped Sam do dishes and Jason left to talk things over more with Lucky to plan their next move. Monroe didn't know any details of it and she didn't ask. When Dante came, Sam went back to her apartment and Monroe texted Michael telling him it was okay to come over. Monroe was sitting on the couch waiting for him and looking through a magazine on the coffee table. She was confused as to why there was a fashion magazine in Jason's penthouse but then she remembered him saying how Spinelli was going overboard trying to please Brenda. A second later she heard quick knocking on the door and Dante saying "Spinelli's not here, Maxie" but the door began to open anyways. A short blonde walked through the door and came to a halt when she saw a girl she had never met before sitting on the couch. Monroe looked up at her and was a little confused. Maxie was a little disheartened at the idea of another beautiful female staying where Spinelli did as well. She looked at the girl's dark brown hair, intense blue eyes, and thin frame and was immediately jealous. Maxie saw her as the kind of girl you could put any outfit on and she would still look great. That was of course the first thing Maxie thought of when she saw a new woman, what outfits would look good on her. If the girl was prettier than her, Maxie liked to think of ugly outfits that would be unflattering to the woman, but none came to mind as she stared at Monroe a little longer than necessary.

"Hi, I'm Monroe." Monroe said simply, putting out a hand that Maxie reluctantly shook.

"I'm Maxie, I was here for Spinelli but I guess he really isn't here, do you live here too?" Maxie asked, very confused.

"Yeah, for now at least" Monroe told her.

"How do you know Jason?" Maxie asked curiously.

"Well aside from being Michael's cousin, I don't really. I'm living here for safety precautions" Monroe told her, not giving away too much.

"Oh, you know Michael?" Maxie really didn't care about anything else, she wanted to know if Monroe was single or not.

"Yeah, he is my boyfriend" Monroe asked and Maxie now had a smile on her face, for the first time since she had barged through the door.

"Oh well that is great, could you tell Spinelli I stopped by if he comes home?" Maxie asked.

"Sure, nice meeting you"

"You too" Maxie said with a small wave as she passed Michael who was walking in as Maxie was walking out. Michael pointed to the door confused, looking back to see If Maxie was still there.

"She was here to see Spinelli, but he isn't here" Monroe said and Michael nodded his head. "I don't think she likes me" Monroe told Michael as she sat down and he sat next to her.

"Why do you say that?" Michael asked.

"I don't know she gave me some weird looks when she first walked in" Monroe said, unsure of herself.

"Oh, she was probably sizing up the competition. She already has to fight for Spinelli's attention from Brenda, I guess she would be upset if there was another woman living here that had Spinelli in awe" Michael explained and Monroe felt better. They made more small talk, mainly about Spinelli and Maxie's relationship, even though Michael didn't know much and then Monroe suggested they go to the room she was staying in because it had a TV and Michael's assignments from school were up there. When they reached the room Michael glanced around at the overwhelming amount of art work. He gazed at it, fascinated for moments until Monroe began talking again.

"So how was spending some time with your mom and baby sis?" Monroe asked, trying to bring up a good topic of conversation.

"It was nice; my mom is being a little overprotective right now with everything going on, but I finally got her to calm down. I think she would feel better if she met you." Michael told her and Monroe just looked at him. She had heard so many different opinions of Carly, she was almost nervous to meet the woman. It didn't help that Michael left out some key details of things Carly had to say about Monroe and the life she was involved in. According to Carly, Monroe was more of a danger to Michael than Michael was to Monroe and Carly didn't think that would ever be a problem with someone Michael dated. Of course she was also going overboard because Michael had recently been released, and because she was fighting a losing battle with Brenda, a supermodel. It would lead any woman to get a little bit out of sorts.

"I like it here. Besides the design of this room. But, Sam and Jason are really trying to make me comfortable. Jason already told me you can be here whenever." Monroe told him and Michael smiled at her. Monroe wanted to change subjects, she really wasn't ready to meet Carly yet, and she didn't think she should have to yet either.

"Well that's good, but I don't think he would be able to keep me away from you" Michael said sweetly, and kissed her quickly. Monroe pulled away and just looked into his eyes for a moment, before she got too caught up; she stood up to find his schoolwork that Kristina had left behind. "So your birthday is in two days, what should I get you so that you will keep me around?" Michael asked playfully.

"Oh you don't have to get me anything. My birthday isn't really a big deal." Michael shook his head at her, little did Monroe know, Michael had already gotten her a present, and had the whole day, well after school at least, planned out. The only part he didn't have on his agenda was that he had to take Morgan and Josslyn out trick or treating, but he knew she wouldn't mind that.

"Whatever you say glamour princess" Michael told her, mocking Spinelli. It received a hearty laugh from Monroe as she placed the assignments down next to him.

"Have you thought about college at all? I mean you have good grades" Monroe asked Michael as he was about halfway finished the assignment

"I never really thought about it until we started dating and I saw how motivated you are. I think I am just going to enroll in community college though, I really have no idea what I want to do and I don't think it will be easy for me to find a job with my record" Monroe nodded, happy that at least he was going to enroll in college.

"That's a good idea." She told him. They talked for a little bit longer until Michael said he should probably go home and Monroe agreed. Monroe walked him down the stairs and they stopped at the front door. She turned around to him and he was smiling at her.

"I'm glad you're okay, when you didn't text me back today I got really worried. I can't imagine anything happening to you."

"I'm fine, and I'm thankful for you. I'd have nothing if it weren't for you" Monroe said and Michael bent down to kiss her.

"You know I'd do anything for you" he told her truthfully, and kissed her again before hugging her. She was smiling into his chest as he lightly kissed her forehead and opened the penthouse door.

"Text me to let me know you got home" Monroe said, waving a little as he nodded his head and walked out. Monroe stood against the door as she closed it, smiling to herself. Even amongst all the chaos of her life, she felt so lucky.

In bed later that night, after she was done texting Michael, Monroe began to sort everything out that was going on in her head. She was hoping that her parents wouldn't go home and notice that she wasn't home. They never go into her room so they wouldn't notice her stuff was gone and Sam told her that Max paid to keep the maid quiet. She just wanted the mess to be over with, as soon as possible. She wanted her parents to get whatever they deserved so everybody's lives around her could go back to normal.

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Basically just fluff :) I like a lot of it. ! So what do you all think of Michael and Abby together on GH? I kind of have mixed feelings about it. I cant believe they kissed! Well actually yes I can because I read spoilers. but still! what do you all think of them together?


	10. happy birthday, monroe!

Thanks so much for the reviews! i love them so much! im currently having trouble finishing up chapter 13 but hope i will be finished with it soon! I'll probably post chapter 11 either tomorrow or Monday because I'll be busy during the weekend... but hope you like :) read and review :)

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It was Monroe's birthday, and Michael and Sam had worked together to make something special of it for Monroe. Michael already knew that Monroe's birthday was never made a big deal at her house, and Michael wanted to make sure she knew that from now on it was going to be recognized.

Monroe woke up for school a little bit late, and was still confused to be waking up in a bed that wasn't her own. She quickly got out of bed and into the shower, she made it a fast one so she would have time to go down stairs and have a cup of coffee before heading to school. She thought it was odd that when she got back into the bedroom and looked at her phone, Michael hadn't texted her yet. He always texted her when he first woke up to say _Good Morning_, she shrugged it off and thought that maybe he was having a late start as well. She changed into her school uniform and pulled her hair into a low side braid with a bow at the bottom to hold it together. She applied a light amount of make up and went back into the bathroom to brush her teeth; she put her lip gloss in her purse to put on after she had eaten some breakfast. She was happy to know that she wouldn't have to rummage around Jason's kitchen for breakfast food because she and Michael always went to Kelly's to get muffins or bagels before school. She felt silly for thinking about Michael so much, but then again she didn't because he was her boyfriend and that's what she was supposed to do. She put on her shoes and then walked quickly down the stairs.

When she reached the bottom step she didn't even realize that she hadn't looked up yet, but when she did; Michael, Sam, and Jason were standing there and Michael had a present in his hand. She looked around and saw that there was a medium sized banner saying "Happy Birthday" in yellow with a light brown background hanging on the mantle. On the table there were a few presents and yellow daffodils, which she assumed were from Michael. Monroe was smiling from ear to ear and she wanted to cry from being so happy. Her birthday had never been acknowledged before; she looked around once more before running into Michael's arms and hugging him. Michael laughed at her before pushing his present into her hands.

"This is one for now, and you can have the other one later. The ones on the table are from Jason and Sam" Monroe nodded enthusiastically as she opened Michael's present that was wrapped in yellow wrapping paper. Sam must have really helped him pull this all together as she looked behind Michael and noticed that there were banana muffins on a yellow plate with a brown and yellow coffee mug filled with coffee next to it. "Yeah, that is for you too. Sam thought it would be nice for you to have your own coffee mug here because Jason, she and Brenda all have their own." Michael explained as he pointed to the coffee mug. "And the muffins are for all of us, my Grandpa Mike says Happy Birthday" Michael told her and she laughed.

Monroe was surprised that when she opened the little box in her hands there was a ring inside. It of course, wasn't a diamond ring, but it was beautiful to her. It was silver with small pink gems in it. She put it on her finger and it was the perfect size. She took it off again and just held it in her hand. "How did you know what size finger? That is serious talent" Monroe told him jokingly.

"Well you're the same size clothing as Sam, and you're small, so I took a wild shot and it turns out you're the same ring size." Michael said laughing. "Look at the inside of it" Michael said eagerly.

Monroe looked inside the ring and saw that engraved was _Happy Birthday_. Monroe looked up and smiled at Michael before giving him a quick kiss and putting it back on. "Thank you so much, I love it." She told him and he was smiling at her, pleased with himself for having such a great gift for her.

"Okay, hurry up and open these presents before you have to leave for school" Sam said excitedly pushing the two presents closer to the end of the table and to Monroe.

Monroe opened both presents and found a new purse and new sketchbooks. Sam explained to her that she didn't know if she would need sketch books, but Max told her that she had a serious purse collection back in her room so that is when Sam decided to get her another one. Monroe assured her that both presents were an amazing idea. She thanked both Sam and Jason and hugged them, Jason as quick as possible because with having the nick name "Stone Cold" from Spinelli, she figured he wasn't the hugging type. Monroe couldn't help it though, she was so happy to have these great people surrounding her, and making such a big deal out of her birthday unlike her own family that never did anything for it. After eating muffins as quickly as possible, Michael and Monroe were off to school. Michael could see a look on Sam's face that worried him, but he decided not to bring attention to it. Today was going to be all about Monroe.

"We have to tell her, Jason" Sam said, as soon as Monroe and Michael walked out the door.

"I know, I just don't think it needs to be brought up on her birthday, tomorrow is a new day" Jason told her.

"I don't want her to think we got her presents out of pity or something, I really did listen when she mentioned her birthday and wanted to get her gifts, not because her parents are going to be sent to prison for life" Sam said, her words jumbling together.

"I'm sure she knows we weren't doing it out of pity. And from the way she talks, I think she wants her parents in jail, she knows they are doing illegal things and hurting people. Money laundering, child trafficking, attempted murder… she can't think that they were going to get away scotch free."

"I know, I just feel so bad. I can't even tell if she likes it here" Sam told him honestly.

"I'm sure once Brenda is gone, we will all like it here." Jason told her which made Sam smile a little.

At school, Kristina even knew it was Monroe's birthday, handing her a birthday card with a gift certificate in it. "I feel like a princess today" Monroe said, glowing, this made Michael happy, considering it was what he was going for.

"Why?" Kristina asked curiously. Monroe told her what she woke up to this morning and Kristina was very surprised that Michael came up with an idea like that. She was even more impressed when she saw the beautiful ring he gave her. "Wow Michael, you did a good job" Kristina said, congratulating her brother for being so sweet and thoughtful.

After lunch, the rest of the day went by pretty quickly. Michael told Monroe during 7th period that after school they could go back to Jason's so she could get changed but then they would have to go over to his house because he promised his mom he would take Morgan and Josslyn. Monroe agreed, reluctantly, she was really nervous about meeting Carly. She had heard mixed reviews and she knew how moms could be with their sons. On the drive over Monroe voiced her worry to Michael.

"I'm nervous about meeting your mom, everyone has made her out to be really intimidating, and Brenda like hates her guts" Monroe told Michael.

"Don't worry about it, she will like you. You are perfect. Plus, you have been my motivation to apply to college and just act normal again; she has to love you for that." Michael told her, calming her down a bit.

They walked to the elevator and up to the penthouse together and Max let them in, apparently Brenda was inside, they could hear her. When Brenda heard the door close she turned around and smiled at them.

"You didn't hear anything? Right?" Brenda asked, mostly towards Michael.

"No" Michael said to her and Brenda let out a sigh of relief.

"Okay, well I'll be upstairs" Brenda said quickly, hurrying up the stairs, Spinelli close behind. Monroe could see the exasperated look on Jason's face and she felt really bad for him. He had three charity cases living under his roof. Monroe decided to ignore it for now, it was her birthday and she didn't want to get upset and ruin anything.

"Are we going anywhere after we take Morgan and Josslyn out?" Monroe asked Michael.

"Yes, to get something to eat." Michael told Monroe.

"Can I wear jeans?" Monroe asked him and he looked at her confused.

"Yes? You can wear whatever you want?" Michael replied, unsure of what she meant.

"I mean is it too fancy to wear jeans to" Monroe asked more simply.

"Oh, no. Jeans are fine" he told her.

"Good" she said, and hurried up the stairs.

When Monroe walked into "her" room, she ransacked the drawers to find a cute outfit to wear. She decided on a pair of black skinny jeans, black flats, a light pink tank top, and a distressed shorter black leather jacket. She took her hair out of the loose braid it had previously been tied in and it hung in loose waves down to her mid back. She reapplied her eyeliner and decided she didn't want to take any more time on her appearance as she pranced down the stairs to Michael, who was patiently waiting, leaned up against the wall. Monroe threw her stuff from her old purse and a few other things into the new purse Sam and Jason had gotten her that conveniently matched her outfit perfectly. A few seconds later she and Michael were out the door and headed to Michael's house, somewhere she had never been.

They pulled up to the Jacks mansion and Monroe just stared. She was used to living in a mansion, but this one was way bigger than the ones she grew up in. Michael got out of the car and let her out, grabbing her hand to hold it when she was out of the car and the door was closed. They walked up to the mansion hand in hand as Michael opened the door for them and walked into the living room where Carly, Morgan, and Josslyn were patiently waiting. Carly was smiling from ear to ear upon seeing Michael, and she even greeted Monroe with a smile as well. Carly stood up and handed Josslyn, who was dressed up as a pink ladybug, over to Michael and then extended her hand out to Monroe. "Hi, I'm Michael's mom, please call me Carly" she said nicely as they shook hands.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Monroe." Monroe replied, smiling back at her. _So far, so good, _Monroe thought to herself.

"It's really great to finally meet you too. Michael talks about you so much. I've heard that today is your birthday. I hope my boy is being extra special today."

"Yes it is, and yes he is. It has been a great day." Monroe told her, in all honesty.

"Well, I just have to grab my purse and then we can go." Carly told them and walked out of the room. Monroe started to focus her attention on Josslyn, since she had already knew Morgan she wanted to meet Josslyn, and besides that, she loved babies. A minute or so later, Carly walked in to Josslyn in Monroe's arms and Michael and Monroe and Morgan all fussing over her. She had to admit it was completely adorable.

"Okay, Okay, I want a picture of all four of you. And then a picture of my two dressed up children" Carly announced, Morgan was dressed up like a zombie, and she was hoping Josslyn would even let Morgan hold her for a minute in such a ridiculous looking outfit.

After pictures were taken, the four of them made their way out to go trick or treating. Michael was holding Josslyn and taking her up to most of the houses so this gave a chance to give Monroe the third degree.

"So do you have a job?" Carly asked Monroe, after already having asked her about four or five questions.

"Yep, I teach art to younger kids a few days a week. I love it" Monroe told her.

"So you are into art? Is that what you plan to go to college for?"

"Definitely. It is a huge part of my life. I've already been accepted to New York Academy of the Arts" she told Carly, who was impressed. She was actually starting to like Monroe aside from the dangers of her family, which Carly knew Jason would take care of. Talking about Monroe's college plans reminded Carly that Monroe got Michael interested in applying to colleges and she had to like Monroe for that. Carly was really scared for Michael until recently. He was always in a good mood now, and he was more talkative and open. _Maybe a mature girlfriend with a good heart was what he needed_, Carly thought to herself, giving Monroe a smile when she realized she the conversation and died out and she was staring.

They made it around the block when Morgan's pillowcase was filled to the top with candy and they decided to head back to the house. Michael was happy about this because he had reservations for himself and Monroe at 5:30pm and it was getting close to 5. After standing around and talking for a little while, Michael told Carly they had to go.

"I just have to go upstairs and get something real quick. Do you wanna wait for me in the car?" Michael asked Monroe and she nodded. Michael kissed her on the cheek quickly as she walked out the door. Once he was sure that she was close to the car he turned around to his mom.

"I'm having a cake for her at Jason's around 8. You should come with Morgan. I don't know about Jax though. I think Dad and Brenda might be there." Michael told Carly who rolled her eyes.

"Morgan and I will be there. I will be ignoring your father and Brenda for you and Monroe's sake. Jax can stay home with Josslyn." Carly told him, but Michael was hesitant to believe her. "I promise I will be on my best behavior" she said smiling at Michael and giving him a hug.

Michael raced up the stairs to get Monroe's last present and he walked out the door. As he walked up to his car he noticed that Monroe was bobbing her head to the music and he couldn't help but laugh. He knew he sounded extremely infatuated, but everything she did was so adorable to him. He got in the car and they made their way over to a new restaurant that opened where the Cellar used to be. He noticed about a month ago that they were remodeling and making a restaurant and he found out they opened on Halloween so he made reservations for her and Monroe a couple days earlier, and surprisingly it wasn't booked yet.

"So where are we going to eat?" Monroe asked Michael.

"Uh, this new place called Addison Grille, I'm pretty sure it's like a steakhouse, it just opened today." Michael told her.

Michael found a parking spot pretty easily and they walked up to the restaurant. They made their way up the host who asked who the reservation was for. When Michael said "Corinthos", the host looked relieved. Michael figured the restaurant owners and staff were glad that his father wasn't going to be there tonight. They host lead them over to a corner booth and they sat down, ordering drinks.

"Thank you so much for everything you are doing today. You, Sam, and Jason have been amazing. I even had fun trick or treating with your mom and siblings. It has been a perfect day and definitely what I needed with everything else that is going on." Monroe said sincerely, taking his hand in hers.

"You're welcome, you deserve this and a lot more" Michael told her.

After ordering their meals, Michael decided he wanted to tell her about something since the conversation was getting slow. "I wanted to let you know, that the ring I got you this morning is a promise ring, I know we've only known each other for two months, but I feel like we have this connection. And I want you to know I'll always be here for you. Even in the future if things don't work out and it's just as a friend, I'll always be here for you and so will my family. That is my promise to you." Michael promised and Monroe thought she was going to cry.

"Thank you, that means a lot to me. You are the best boyfriend" She said sweetly smiling at him across the table, then looking away so she didn't tear up. Luckily, there food came a couple seconds later so there could be a shift in the topic. Dinner conversation came easily, they talked about homecoming and thanksgiving coming up, keeping it light. Michael knew that tomorrow Monroe was going to have a lot to deal with when it came to her parents, so he wanted to keep things simple for tonight. After they were finished with dinner, the waiter took their plates, asking if they would like dessert. Michael was happy that Monroe didn't say she wanted any, because she didn't know he had people coming to Jason's for cake in about a half hour.

"So I have one more present for you, before we head back" Michael said, pulling out a card from his jacket's inner pocket.

"Really? You so don't have to do all this. The ring was enough." Monroe told Michael and he just grinned at her and handed it over. Monroe couldn't help but be excited to open another present. She opened up the envelope to see two tickets inside to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

"I figured we could go there, and spend the weekend in New York City. I know you've probably been there, but maybe we could walk around and you could teach me a thing or two about art" Michael suggested.

"This is so nice; I don't know how many times I can say this is the best day ever. And not just because I'm getting amazing presents" Monroe told him, laughing. They stood up together and she hugged him before they walked out to the car together.

By the time they got to the penthouse, Sonny, Brenda, Kristina, Molly, Morgan, Carly, Jason, Sam, Spinelli, Dante, Lulu, Max and Milo, were all there waiting to have cake. Michael texted Sam that they were in the elevator so she knew to light the candles. Michael made it a point to have Monroe walk through the door first.

"Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday dear Monroe, Happy Birthday to you" chimed throughout the living room as Sam carried the cake in front of Monroe so she could blow out the candles. Monroe closed her eyes and blew them out, wishing that everything could continue stay this good.

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So this was a cute chapter :) the next one brings up the Balkan once again and how that is going to play out :) then the chapter after that is homecoming! love it!


	11. the next step

Although the day and night before had been wonderful, Monroe woke up with a bad feeling in her gut. She knew good things couldn't last forever, but she was hoping she was wrong. She reluctantly got out of bed and made her way to the shower. Once inside with the hot water pouring down on her and the steam surrounding her, she realized she could quite possibly just stay in there all day. Avoid the world, her criminal parents, and the fact that she was living in a home she wasn't quite comfortable with yet. The last part was changeable though. Jason and Sam were making her feel more and more welcome. Making it known that she was going to be able to stay there as long as she wanted, no matter what happened. Eventually, Monroe did get out of the shower and changed into her school clothes. She put little effort into her hair and makeup, for some reason, she just wasn't in the mood. She made her way down the stairs and saw both Jason and Sam sitting at the kitchen table, sipping on coffee. When they heard Monroe get closer, they were drawn out of deep conversation.

"Sorry if I interrupted" Monroe said apologetically, as she went into the kitchen and poured herself coffee. She decided to keep it black and walked back towards the kitchen table to sit.

"It's fine, there is actually something we need to talk to you about" Sam said, motioning for Monroe to sit with them.

"Okay" Monroe said. She knew this had to be bad. She didn't understand where she got her sixth sense for a doomed day from, but she was pretty sure what ever Jason and Sam had to tell her was going to bother her.

"Well... Lucky and I have been trying to figure out what the best thing to do for handling the Balkan would be and although I'm against it, we think the best thing to do would be to go to the police. If convicted they will be facing close to life in prison for money laundering, child exploitation, and attempted murder" Jason informed Monroe, wanting to get everything out on the table.

"But what about Brenda? I mean of course they are going to mention that my brother was killed by her. If they are going to be taken down, I doubt they will go easily" Monroe countered.

"According to Lucky, he doesn't think they have any proof against Brenda or Dante. No prints were found on the body and a weapon was never found either. It would be considered an unsolved case. It would be a criminal's words against an innocent woman" Jason assured her.

"We just wanted to let you know, that when this is taken to trial and they are convicted. That leaves you with guardians, considering you are only 17." Sam told her.

"My guardians are dead, and my family doesn't associate with any of the rest of our family" Monroe said, getting worried. "I was planning on emancipating myself. I just don't know where I will go. Especially if they are convicted of money laundering, I would most likely be left with nothing" Monroe confided, she looked like she was going to be sick.

"Well if you are going to emancipate yourself, you can stay here. We don't mind you staying here at all and would like having you here. And I'm sure Michael will be happy to have you here, safe." Jason told the fragile girl in front of him, he could tell she was trying hard to be independent, but it was hard to take on all of this.

"I don't want to be a problem; I mean you already have Spinelli and Brenda living here. How can you two start a real life with all these people living in your home?" Monroe asked.

"Well, Sam has finally agreed to move in and Spinelli is going to be moving into her apartment and Brenda and Sonny are getting married, he bought her house, blah blah blah, so it would just be the three of us" Jason told her. "And trust me, you living here is about a million times easier than having Brenda and Spinelli here" Jason said, smiling slightly. He knew everything she was hearing was a lot, and he really did know that her living here was no problem. She caused no drama and she wasn't crazy. He also thought it would be best for Michael if he knew Monroe was safe.

"Well thank you, so much, for all of this. I really need to think about everything though. When are you going to police?"

"Today, and even if they were arrested today, they wouldn't go to trial for a few more days, after investigations. And the trial would last more than a day with all the things they are being charged for, so you have a couple weeks to really think about things" Jason assured her.

"Okay, well I have to go to school… I'll see you guys later" Monroe told them and she grabbed her bookbag, rushing out the door.

"Well, that went surprisingly well. I hope she's okay and I hope she chooses to stay here" Sam said.

"Yeah, she seems like a strong, smart girl. She can handle this" Jason reassured Sam, pulling her into a hug.

Monroe didn't wait for a guard to escort her, mainly because they thought she was going to school so they didn't follow her. She got into the elevator and almost ran to her car, trying to get inside as fast as she could. Once inside she took a few deep breaths and leaned back into the seat. Deciding she should text Michael and let him know she wasn't going to school.

_Monroe- Hey. Just got some big news, need a day off. See you later?_

_Michael- Not coming to school?_

_Monroe- No, I just need to think about things._

_Michael- Where do you want to meet?_

_Monroe- Don't miss school because I'm having a bad day. I'll be okay._

_Michael- Where do you want to meet? We can talk.._

_Monroe- The Docks_

_Michael- Be there in 5 minutes_

Monroe knew he wasn't going to take no for an answer and she was kind of glad for that, she needed him. She always needed him. She got to the docks and parked, seeing him sitting on a bench facing the water. She couldn't help but smile. She got out of her car and made her way to him, once he saw her he stood up to hug her and she sat down next to him, wrapping her arm around his and sitting close to him.

"So what's going on?" Michael asked her.

They spent the next hour discussing the recent things Monroe learned from Jason and Sam. Monroe confided in Michael that even though her parents never gave a crap about her, she still felt a twinge of sadness to know they were going to jail. Maybe not for her father; but how involved could her mother be? She knew how power hungry her mother was; even if she didn't have anything to do with the illegal actions of their business, both their names would be tied to everything because of the hotel once it was figured out who the Balkan was.

"I also feel guilty about staying with Jason and Sam, I mean after Brenda and Sonny get married, they will finally have the penthouse to themselves, but instead of that, they will have to become care givers of some damaged teenager."

"Wait, My dad and Brenda are getting married? And damaged teenager? Just because your parents are criminals, it does not make you damaged. Trust me." Michael said sternly.

"Shit, I guess you didn't know that yet. Great. Are you okay with that?" Monroe asked concerned.

"Leave it to you to be worried about how I feel when your parents are going to jail" Michael said. "I'm fine with my dad getting married; my mom on the other hand, might not be so fine with it." He said, shaking his head at the thought.

"Well I guess she will have to get over that, she's with Jax." Monroe said and Michael nodded his head, he didn't want to get into explaining his mother's reasoning today. "Although if I were you, I would avoid telling her anything at the moment."

"Oh believe me; I am not going to be the one to tell her that Brenda and my dad are getting married." Michael said throwing his hands up.

For a little while longer they talked about things until Monroe calmed down and was certain the best option for her was to emancipate herself from her parents and permanently live with Jason and Sam. She thought to herself that at least she was already 17; if she and Michael built a strong relationship together it would be possible for them to move in together. She stopped thinking of things like that, figuring she was getting ahead of herself, even if Monroe and Michael were handling things together that most teenage couples never would.

"I can't believe all this is happening, and homecoming is this weekend. It seems bizarre." Monroe told Michael who couldn't help but agree. Then again, everything that happened in his life seemed unusual. "Speaking of, did you get a suit yet?" Monroe asked him, trying to talk about something other than herself and her problems, even though she knew he didn't mind.

"Yes I did. I even got you, Taylor, Kristina and I a limo for the night" Michael told her, and she was surprised.

"Oh what a prince charming you are" she said, kissing him lightly and standing up.

"Don't be mean" He said, mocking hurt.

"I would never" she said giggling and hugging him, then pulling away to look up at him. He was probably a foot taller than her so she literally did have to look up to him. "I'm getting hungry. Want to go to Kelly's?"

"Sure, why not" he said, grabbing her hand as they walked to Kelly's together, leaving there cars.

After getting brunch at Kelly's, Monroe decided she was just going to go back to the penthouse and relax and Michael thought it sounded like a nice idea but he wanted to go home and get changed first. They walked back to their cars and Michael told her he would meet her back at Jason's.

When Michael walked in his house he was surprised to see his mom home and even more surprised to see Spinelli there. But, the most surprised was Carly, who was going to have to hide her dirt digging.

"What are you guys doing?" Michael asked curiously.

"Spinelli's just helping me with something. What are you doing home from school? It's only 11am." Carly asked, glancing at the grandfather clock hanging on the wall.

"Jason and Sam just gave Monroe a lot of information to deal with and I wanted to be there for her. She didn't want to go school cause she had a lot to think about" Michael explained, knowing his mom wouldn't think it was a great idea for him to be skipping school.

"I would rather you go to school Michael, it is your senior year. I want you to graduate with your class and go off to college. Cutting school isn't acceptable to me" Carly said sternly; although it melted her heart how he wanted to be there for Monroe.

"I know mom, it was just this one time. I didn't want Monroe to be by herself."

"Okay, good. So what did you come home for?" She asked, being her usual nosy self.

"I wanted to get changed, I'm just going to go over to Jason's and hang out with Monroe, in case she needs someone to talk to."

"So what is going on with that? Is she going to be living there permanently? Honestly, it may be the best thing for her"

"Yes, she will be. Hopefully her parents are being sent to jail and she is going to emancipate herself and live with Sam and Jason" Carly nodded her head.

"Well if her parents go to jail then Brenda can leave town forever and that will make everything right in the world" Carly said smiling, looking at Spinelli quickly. Michael just nodded, not wanting to inform her of the worst news possible she would inevitably be receiving some time soon.

Michael made his way over to the penthouse pretty quickly and Max let him in. He walked in to see Brenda looking through wedding magazines that were sprawled all over the sofa and Monroe nowhere in sight.

"Oh hi Michael, How are you?" Brenda said, hurrying up to pick up all the magazines and shove them into a tote bag that was on the floor.

"I'm good, and you?" Michael asked.

"I'm great, shouldn't you be at school?"

"Playing hooky today… have you seen Monroe?"

"Yeah, she just came in like 15 minutes ago and went upstairs" Brenda told him. "I'm gonna get going. Nice seeing you." Brenda told him. She was going to mention something about him playing hooky and how it was bad but she thought twice about it, figuring it wasn't her place to say something like that. After she put on her shoes and walked out the door, Michael decided to go upstairs. He knocked on Monroe's door lightly but didn't hear anything back. The bathroom door was open so she couldn't have been in there. He knocked one more time lightly and when he didn't hear anything back, he opened the door. He looked inside to see Monroe in pajamas, asleep on the bed. He was amazed at how fast she could fall asleep. He was also amazed at what a sound sleeper she was because Brenda had some weird music playing and she slammed the door accidentally on her way out. He smiled at how beautiful she looked sprawled across the bed. When he sat down next to her she must of noticed the bed move because he saw her eyes flutter open.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"No problem, I got kind of worried when you didn't answer me knocking on the bedroom door though"

"Oh, I'm fine. Just tired I guess. What do you want to do? Watch a movie or something?"

"Sounds good to me… but, no girly movies if you're going to fall asleep. I don't mind watching them with you, but if you fall asleep, it's kind of just me watching a chick flick on my own" he said, and she laughed and nodded. She put in some Liam Neeson movie she bought one time at Target because it was part of those 2 for 20 deals and cuddled up next to him in bed. It was odd that they could lie in her bed together and she knew he wouldn't do anything to make her uncomfortable. Then again, she knew Michael could never make her feel edgy, nervous, or scared which was all the things her ex boyfriend made her feel. Michael was a complete sweetheart to her and she was so lucky to have him, especially with everything that was going on.

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Read and review :) love you guys!


	12. homecoming

Hi ! Thanks for the reviews!

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Homecoming was a huge deal to Kristina and she has the whole entire preparation completely planned from start to finish. Luckily, even though it was a Friday, Madison Prep had off that day because Monroe was sure that it was going to take at least 6 hours.

"Okay, so I'll be over at 12pm, because we're going to get our manicure, pedicure, facials, and waxing done at 1" Kristina had told Monroe the night before.

"Wait a minute, if our appointment isn't until 1, why the hell do you need to be here an hour before that" Monroe asked.

"Because I doubt you will even be awake and then I will have to drag you out of bed. We have to be on time because our hair appointment is at 4:30. Then we need to get back to your house by 5:30 so Sam can do our makeup, and then to Michael's house by 6:30 for pictures and limo pick up at 7:30." Kristina informed Monroe. Monroe wasn't good at all this scheduling, she was more of a free bird, but she wanted to spend the day with Kristina and have some girl time so she agreed to follow the strict regime. She thought it was funny that Kristina said they needed to be back at "her house by 5:30", because Kristina had just found out she was going to be living with Sam and Jason permanently so now she jokingly called Monroe her niece.

True to her word, Kristina was at the penthouse at 12pm. 11:55am to be exact, and just as she had guessed, Monroe was still curled up in bed.

"Where is she?" Kristina asked impatiently as she looked at Sam.

"I haven't heard her yet, so I think she's still asleep."

"Ugh! I knew it!" Kristina said as she raced up the stairs and flew open Monroe's door. "MONROE! WAKE UP SLEEPY HEAD" she said, pulling off her covers.

"You know for such a small thing you sure are loud" Monroe said as she sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes from sleep.

"How can you still be sleeping? Half the day is over. I am all for sleeping in, but come on. It's almost lunch time."

"Michael didn't leave until like 3am, so I am allowed to be a sleepyhead" Monroe informed her as stood up and pulled on a pair of jeans and a T shirt. She ran a brush through her already straightened hair and threw on a pair of shoes. "See, all I have to do is brush my teeth and I'm ready. No problem" Monroe said, walking into the bathroom with Kristina behind her.

"Michael was here until 3am? Doing what may I ask? On second thought… forget I asked" Kristina said, shaking her head and making a fake gag noise.

"Nothing like that, just hanging out." Monroe said smiling and Kristina rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. Don't forget to bring a scoop neck or button up shirt for when you get your hair done. I'll meet you downstairs in 2 minutes." Kristina said.

"Oh, whatever would I do without you Miss Corinthos?" Monroe said mockingly as she turned into her room quickly, knowing that if she wasn't down stairs in two minutes Kristina would have her head.

Monroe made it downstairs a couple seconds later to see Kristina and Sam talking on the couch together.

"Alright, let's go." Kristina said standing up as soon as she noticed Monroe was down the stairs.

"Do you need money or anything?" Sam asked Monroe, knowing it was awkward for Monroe to be asked, but she wanted to make sure she was had some.

"No, I'm okay. Thank you though" Monroe said as she grabbed her jacket and followed Kristina out the door after they said goodbye.

In the car Monroe couldn't help but ask Kristina why she was being so crazy about Homecoming.

"Is there something going on that I don't know about? Because you are seriously acting like a mad woman" Monroe asked Kristina jokingly, although she was concerned.

"I'm fine. It's just … don't you think there is a stereotype that goes along with homecoming? Like going to a party and having sex after?" Kristina asked.

"No, I think that's prom and there is a hotel room involved. Are you distracting yourself with hair and nail and make up to avoid thinking about if Taylor wants to do something tonight?"

"Yes."

"Listen Krissy, Taylor is a super sweet guy, he would never ever force you to do anything like the jerk before him did. He treats you how guys are supposed to. So if you go to a party tonight, don't drink too much or at all and if you're not ready to have sex with him, then don't. With Taylor, things are a lot simpler than they were with Kiefer; you've got to know that" Monroe reassured her

"Yeah I guess you're right. Aren't you and Michael going to come to Allie's party too?"

"No, since Michael just got off parole he wants to avoid the teen drinking scene, and I'm not much of a party girl either." She told Kristina who nodded understandingly.

The first girly appointment went by fast and they even had time to get a quick bite to eat before getting their hair done. Monroe pulled out her phone and saw an unread text.

_Michael- Is my sister driving you insane yet?_

_Monroe- No, were having a good time. Lol. Can't wait to see you tonight. Xoxo_

_Michael- I can't wait to see you either _

Monroe smiled as she put her phone away and Kristina couldn't help but notice.

"You and my brother are so great together, I'm so glad you found each other"

"Me too." Monroe replied honestly.

"So are Sam and Jason coming to Michael's to take pictures of you two, I mean they are like your new parents practically" Kristina said jokingly.

"I don't think so; I mean they don't have to do anything like that. Just because I'm going to be living with them doesn't mean they have to treat me like a daughter"

"Trust me, my sister's maternal instincts are insane, I'm surprised she isn't doing your laundry for you already"

"She's not, although I wish she would … I don't know how to work a washing machine so eventually I will run out of clothes" Monroe admitted. She lived with a maid her entire life, even if she was a neat girl by nature, she didn't know how to do those simple things.

"You are crazy. I'll teach you next time I'm over. Well not today. But the next time after that. You're going to have to stop being such a princess." Kristina told her jokingly.

"I wouldn't mind doing my own laundry… it's just... I am not a princess shut up" Monroe defended herself as they laughed together over it.

After they were done at their hair appointment they made their way over to the penthouse, where Sam had the makeup set up in the bathroom, and surprisingly, Jason was home too.

"Try not to glitter up the bathroom too much" Jason said to the three girls as they walked up the stairs.

Kristina got her makeup done first since she still had to go home and get her dress on. Sam wanted to keep her natural looking, of course, since she was her baby sister.

"So, were all getting pictures done at Michael's after this, you should come. Mom will be there too." Kristina told Sam and Monroe just stared at her.

"Sure, I will come. I want to get a few pictures of Michael and Monroe." Sam said, which surprised Monroe but she hid it. After Kristina was finished getting her makeup done she stayed for a few more minutes but then decided that she really had to get going.

As Sam was going Monroe's make up she asked her about everything they did that day and about how her and Michael were doing, just to make some conversation.

"So you and Michael seem to be getting pretty serious, we didn't hear him leave until early morning" Sam suggested to Kristina.

"Yeah, if it bothers you or Jason I can ask him to leave earlier. I know he stays kind of late" Monroe said, worried. She didn't want to annoy Jason or Sam with everything they were doing for her.

"It doesn't bother me at all, I love Michael and you two are great together from what I have seen. And I'm sure if Jason had a problem with it he would say something to Michael, so you are in the clear" Sam said winking at her. "There, all done. You look great." Sam said as she applied a final coat of mascara to Monroe's long, dark lashes.

"Thanks so much, I love it" Monroe said approvingly as she looked into the mirror. "Now I just have to get my dress and shoes on, and I'm all ready" Monroe said as she stood up and went into her bedroom. She pulled the red and black dress along with the black heels out of the closet and slipped into them, carefully not to let her dress go anywhere near the masterpiece that was her hair and makeup. She added another spritz of hairspray to her chocolate brown up do and added the black head piece she had gotten to go with her dress. After she put on her diamond earrings and necklace, she decided she was ready to go downstairs. When she got to the bottom steps she was surprised to see both Sam and Jason standing there.

"We figured it would be easier if we just drove you over, instead of taking separate cars.. I have the boutonnière" Sam said to Monroe, holding up the box.

"Okay, that's fine. You guys don't really have to come if you have something else to do though." Monroe said, making sure they didn't feel obligated to see her off to homecoming.

"We want to come Monroe, let's go" Sam said with a smile as the three of them headed down stairs to the car and over to Michael's house.

"Okay, so the corsage is in the refrigerator, here's some extra cash, here are your shoes, am I forgetting anything? I feel like I'm forgetting something?" Carly said frantically to her oldest son. She was so excited for him to be going to homecoming. Finally, he was attending a normal teen function. He even was agreeable attending a function that Madison Prep made a huge deal out of. She was so happy that he was doing something a guy his age should be doing.

"Mom, everything is good. Stop worrying." Michael assured his mom.

"You look so handsome and grown up, it makes me so happy" Carly said, brushing her hand against Michael's face, it almost brought tears to her eyes.

"Mom, stop it. Monroe is going to be here soon, and nobody is going to be fussing over her like this." Michael said, not wanting anyone to feel awkward, especially not Monroe.

"You are right, okay, I'm better" Carly said, kissing Michael on the forehead and then going to answer the door when she heard a doorbell ring. "This is probably her…" Carly said as she opened the door. "…Or not" she then said unenthusiastically, as she saw Brenda and Sonny standing before her.

"You going to let us in, I'd like to see my son before his homecoming" Sonny said. Michael was happy that Sonny was there but he couldn't help but feel a little weird having his parent surrounding him for this when he knew no one would be there for Monroe. He felt immature compared to Monroe, but he knew his parents meant well and they were just making a big deal because he missed out on a lot of the normal teenager stuff.

"Yeah, come in" Carly said, faking kindness as she let Sonny and Brenda in.

"So where's the beautiful date?" Sonny asked Michael.

"On her way, I hope..." Michael said with a laugh. Soon after, Kristina, Taylor, Alexis, and Molly arrived. Michael and Kristina talked for a couple minutes when finally another doorbell ring was heard. Carly was about to get out of her seat when she saw Michael going for the door instead. Michael reached the door and opened it, happy to see Jason, Sam, and Monroe standing at the other side. "Hey" he said as he let them in and then kissed Monroe quickly on the cheek. "Wow, you look...just wow. You look amazing" Michael said, he was literally at a loss for words.

"Thanks, you look pretty good yourself" Monroe told him with a smile as they walked into the living room.

"Oh my gosh! You look so pretty! I didn't see you at all today. You are just gorgeous!" Brenda exclaimed and Monroe thanked her politely. After Kristina and Monroe received a few more of the similar compliments they exchanged boutonnieres and corsages with their dates and then got ready for millions of pictures. After Michael and Taylor both thought they were officially blind, they finally convinced Carly and Alexis to stop taking pictures, who continued to take pictures long after Sam and Sonny, had stopped.

On their way out the door to the limo, Jason lightly grabbed Michael by the arm. "Keep her safe" was all he said as Michael nodded. Monroe was just in ear shot but almost didn't believe what she had heard. She was really taken aback that Jason would say something like that to Michael, so fatherly. It made her happy to have all these wonderful people looking out for her.

Most of homecoming went by completely normal. Michael and Taylor, of course, disagreed to dance with their dates to anything other than slow songs so this left Kristina and Monroe out on the dance floor by themselves a majority of the time. A song with a good beat came on and Kristina and Monroe were enjoying themselves along with two or three other girls and hadn't notices that 3 guys from their class had joined them. Monroe and Kristina were having such a good time that they didn't really notice that the two boys were basically dancing with only the two of them. The song ended and Monroe looked behind her to see Troy, from her science class, directly behind her.

"Thanks for that" he said, almost creepily and Monroe immediately was disgusted. She didn't know Troy that well at all but she knew he was a jock, and she knew he was with a different girl each week.

"Yeah, whatever" Monroe replied as she pushed him aside and walked back to the table Michael and Taylor had been sitting at earlier, only neither of them were there. In fact, she looked around and couldn't find Michael anywhere. "_Great_" Monroe said quietly as she scanned the room to find Kristina and Taylor talking and made her way over to them quickly.

"Hey Taylor, have you seen Michael anywhere?" Monroe said as she got up to them.

"Yeah, he went outside a couple minutes ago, I think something is bothering him" Taylor told Monroe, confirming her worry. She grabbed her jacket and made her way outside. She walked to the end of the walkway and looked over to see a dark figure standing against a tree. She walked closer and closer to see that it was Michael.

"Hey" Monroe said quietly, barely audible, but she knew he heard her.

"I don't really want to talk right now." Michael said coldly.

"Don't shut me out Michael, that's not what a relationship is" Monroe said sternly, standing directly in front of her.

"Neither is flirting and dancing with other guys" Michael retorted, finally looking up.

"Michael, it wasn't like that at all. How can you even say that?"

"All I know is that I'm sitting at the table with Taylor, trying to have a normal conversation, and I look up and see you dancing with another guy"

"Kristina was dancing with another guy too, why does Taylor see that it doesn't mean anything but you can't see that"

"Cause all I saw was the way he was looking at you. He was looking at how hot you are in and most likely imagining all the things he could do to you. I just picture Carter treating women like that and it makes me sick." Michael confided in her, only she was completely confused.

"Carter? What are you talking about? Who is Carter?"

"The thing I told you that happened to me in prison, his name was Carter." Michael said, shifting his stance.

"Oh, listen… the dancing with Troy and I was nothing. I didn't even realize I was dancing with a guy like that, I thought Kristina and I were just out there having fun with a group of people. If I had known he was being the way he was I would have walked away." Monroe tried to assure Michael.

"I know. Just seeing him that close to you really made me angry and I had to get out of there before I did anything I would regret."

"It didn't mean a thing to me, you know that right?" Monroe asked, looking at Michael and resting a hand at his face. He finally nodded, agreeing with her and she kissed him. When they finally pulled away from each other she decided now was a good time to bring up what he had just mentioned to her. "You know, we have to sit down and talk about what happened. You need to talk about it or you are never going to feel better about it. You have to know how much I'm here for you and how much it doesn't affect us before you can move forward" Monroe told him. Michael knew it was true, even if he didn't want it to be.

"I know, just not tonight. Please, I want you to enjoy the rest of homecoming." Michael said kissing her again and she shook her head, agreeing that tonight was not the night.

"I want you to, too... Come on, I think I hear a slow song" She said smiling and pulling him back into the dance. He couldn't belief how understanding she was. He walked out of homecoming and instead of thinking he was being an asshole and starting a fight with him, she reasoned with him and made everything better.

Monroe was right; she was going to be able to get one more slow song out of Michael. Although Michael was mostly focused on the beautiful girl woman in his arms, he couldn't help but notice how accurate these certain words in the song were.

_One of the things that I want to say just aren't coming out right  
I'm tripping on words  
You've got my head spinning  
I don't know where to go from here  
Cause it's you and me and all of the people with nothing to do  
Nothing to prove  
And it's you and me and all other people  
And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you  
There's something about you now  
I can't quite figure out  
Everything she does is beautiful  
Everything she does is right.._

_

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_

In the next chapter, I kind of fast forward about a month. Mostly because I want to get the Balkan thing over with. So the next chapter, the result of the Balkan situation will be handled and it will be Thanksgiving and the day after _  
_


	13. perfect

LONGEST CHAPTER YET! AND ITS MY FAVORITE ONE! HOPE YOU ENJOY... REVIEW ! LOVE YA!

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The month after homecoming flew by for Monroe. Mostly because something huge happened, something she was expecting. The Tuesday after homecoming, her parents were placed under arrest and criminal investigation. It took over a week for them to find anything solid against them but they did find enough, and a court case was made. During this time, Monroe was going through the process of emancipating herself which was a separate court case within itself, but Diane was helping her through it. Monroe went to court and ironically, the judge handling her case was also handling the case of her parents, so being granted emancipation turned into a simple process. Even if she was going to be living with the "big bad mob enforcer of Port Charles".

The "Balkan" case brought Brenda into the court room, which everyone was hoping to avoid. Monroe was right, though, her father wasn't going down without a fight and he wasn't going to go down alone. Luckily, Jason was also right and they were able to get the jury to believe that Brenda had nothing to do with the murder of the Balkan's son and that the Balkan was lying. When asked the question _"Why would the Balkan say you of all people were the killer of his son?" _Brenda answered quickly that she was the last one dating Alex before his disappearance. After that, everything fell into place and Brenda walked out of the court room, a liar, but free of the violence she had been a part of.

Monroe was right when she thought that most of her parent's money would be gone. The hotel was left to her, but Monroe wanted nothing to do with it, so it was sold. The house, abandoned was also sold for 6 million dollars, all of which went directly to Monroe. But all of the money the hotel ever earned was gone; all her parents' savings were also gone to pay for as much of the charges as possible. The only money Monroe was willing to take was from the house, because that's all she felt was actually hers.

The Balkan, better known as, Trenton Kennedy, was sentenced to life in prison on charges of harassment, attempted murder, money laundering, and child exploitation. His wife, Melody Kennedy was also sentenced to prison time; 25 years in prison and then 2 years of parole, with a chance of being let out in 20 years on good behavior. Her crimes, less severe and mostly involved guilt by association, still needed accountability.

Monroe thought it was funny that when she heard of her parents prison sentences all she could think about was her mother in a terribly orange outfit, it reminded her of a time when she was younger.

_Monroe had spent the entire morning of her 11__th__ birthday getting ready for the day. Her brother had persuaded her parents to take her out to lunch for her birthday because it was supposed to be a special day. Her brother never really wanted anything to do with Monroe, but she couldn't help but like him for what he asked their parents to do for her. She spent three hours the night before picking out her outfit. She decided on this dark orange dress that the maid, Miss Malleo, had bought her a few weeks ago. The next morning she spent hours in front of the mirror, getting her hair to curl just perfect, she even put on lip gloss, to look more grown up. She heard her parents walk into the house and she was happy that she was ready. She slipped on a dark brown pair of boots before making her way downstairs to where her mother and father were sitting in the den._

"_What are you so dressed up for?" Her mother asked in a sharp tone._

"_Alex told me that you two were going to take me out to lunch today… it's my birthday" Monroe reminded them._

"_Oh yeah." Her mother said, it sounded like the lunch date had slipped her mind "Well, it'd be best for you take off that ugly orange dress then. And wash out your hair, it looks so messy like that" she finished off with._

"_Yes mom." Monroe replied, hiding the heartbreak in her voice._

"_Why don't you wear that nice blue one I got you, remember? Yes, I bought that one so of course it would be a better choice" Melody said in her fake sweet tone. _

_Monroe ran up the stairs, holding back tears until she got into her room. She worked so hard on picking out the perfect dress and doing her hair flawlessly. She picked the orange dress because it was Halloween, and fall. The dress her mother was thinking of was a dress she had bought Monroe 5 years ago, it of course was about three sizes too small, now. Monroe couldn't help but laugh at this; it was then that she learned that she had nobody to rely on but herself. _

_The saddest thing of all though, was that when Monroe went upstairs to get changed and wet her hair for her mother, when she never came back downstairs, nobody every came back upstairs to get her. She never got to go out for her birthday with her parents. Her birthday would always go unnoticed._

Monroe was drawn out of the memory and instead of being upset, she began to laugh. Her mother had called that orange dress ugly and now her mother was receiving karma. For the next 25 years, she would be in the ugliest orange jumpsuit any one had ever seen. She would also be without hair products, Monroe thought with a smile.

The morning of Thanksgiving came quickly, Monroe couldn't believe her parents had already been convicted four days prior and they would be spending holidays in a jail cell, separately. That was the only thing she ever felt bad about when it came to her parents; she knew how in love they were with each other. Now, being separated, would really take its toll on them. She pushed that thought aside and got ready for the day's dealings. She knew in her heart it was easier to be bitter than upset about the cards she was dealt.

Monroe got out of bed and went down stairs in her pajamas, to see Jason and Sam cuddled up next to each other by the fire. She had to smile at how cute they were. The three of them had gotten a lot closer over the past month. Sam was there for her through everything over the past month and she was eternally grateful for it.

"So what are you and Michael doing today? Anything?" Sam asked Monroe curiously.

"Well, Carly and Jax are taking Morgan and Joss to the parade and into the city for dinner and I don't think Michael really wants to go so we don't know yet. What are you guys doing?"

"Well Jason has work, but I am going to my mom's. You and Michael are more than welcome to come there" Sam offered.

"Thanks, I'll let you know." Monroe said as she added the extra's too her coffee and made her way back upstairs. She had taken a shower the night before so she decided to just start getting ready for the day. She opened her closet door and couldn't help but laugh out loud at what she saw. Hanging boldly in front of her, a dark orange V neck sweater she had bought from Abercrombie a few months earlier. She knew she had to wear it. She took it off the hanger along with a pair of tight khaki's and her dark brown uggs, she even found an oversized dark brown belt to match and holster around her stomach to pull it all together. She looked at the time and realized it was still pretty early and she had plenty of time before her Michael had to make any set plans. She looked down at her curling rod and turned it on. She took a sip of her coffee that was now at the perfect temperature and sat down in front of her mirror. When the curling iron beeped that it was hot, she began to curl her hair into perfect ringlets. An hour later, with a head full of curls, Monroe was very pleased with her look. She went into the bathroom to freshen her face and brush her teeth. She made her way back into her bedroom and put on a light amount of makeup. She looked in front of the mirror and smiled. She pulled off curls and an orange sweater damn well.

"For you, mommy" Monroe said quietly, winking at her reflection in the mirror and walking out of the room. Monroe knew it was crazy to talk to herself, but she was having an off day, so she thought she was allowed to do whatever she wanted.

When she was downstairs, she noticed that now, nobody was sitting on the couch. She heard noises in the kitchen so she made her way in and saw that Sam was cooking, for thanksgiving, she assumed.

"Wow Monroe, you look great. That sweater really brings out the color of your hair, and I love the curls" Sam complimented Monroe and Monroe was beaming. All she ever wanted was a compliment from her mom, but this meant so much more to her; a compliment from a genuine person; a compliment from a person that actually cared about her wellbeing.

"Thanks Sam" Monroe said graciously as she put her coffee mug in the sink and pulled out her phone to call Michael.

"Hey Monroe" Michael said, picking up n the second ring.

"Hey, what are you up to?" Monroe asked.

"Nothing, just sitting here watching TV, how about you?"

"Nothing, just standing in the kitchen, talking to Sam … just got done getting ready"

"Oh, alright"

"What are we doing today?"

"Well I just got off the phone with Dante, and my dad wants us over there for dessert. But I don't know of anywhere we could go for Thanksgiving dinner since my mom took Morgan and Joss into the city with Jax"

"Well Sam said we could go with her to Alexis' house for dinner. Kristina and Molly will be there, and so will Spinelli and Maxie."

"That sounds good. Then we could just take Kristina with us to my dad's with us after dinner."

"Alright, well Sam is mouthing to me that she wants to leave here by 3, so can you be here by then?"

"Sure, I'll just come over now."

"Okay, bye babe" Monroe said, hanging up the phone.

After she got off the phone with Michael, Monroe helped Sam make some things to take over to Alexis' house.

"MMM, sweet potato casserole, where did you learn to become a good cook?" Monroe asked Sam.

"Well, I'm just following the recipe I found online actually" She replied with a laugh. "I'm really not the greatest" She further explained.

"I spent a lot of time alone growing up, so I got really good at cooking and baking. The chef would let me help him all the time."

"Well, that's one good thing that came out of it. Men love good food" Sam said winking at her and Monroe nodded in agreement.

A little bit later, Michael came in and the three of them stood in the kitchen together getting things ready to take over to Alexis' house. Michael and Monroe decided to take a separate car then Sam since they had to go to Sonny's after and Sam had food she had to fit in the car.

"I don't think I want to go to dads with you guys, I'd rather stay here" Kristina said quietly to Monroe when dinner was finishing up.

"Are you sure? I think he would want to see you" Monroe retorted, knowing that Sonny would like to see Michael and Kristina both, especially since he wasn't going to see Morgan at all.

"Well, I don't know. I'll think about it a little more." Kristina offered, and then went back to the conversation that was going at the table.

Monroe observed everything going around her and she felt really blessed. Her parents were locked away, but she had plenty of great people around her. Sam was there for her through everything, especially when Michael couldn't be. Sam and she had spent many nights awake, just talking, and doing anything they could to make Monroe forget about the mess that was going on around her. Jason… even though Monroe had taken away his girlfriend quite often lately, he never once made a fuss over it and he never once made her feel unwelcome. Kristina had become her best friend, taking her out on random shopping trips and just doing anything she could to lighten the mood. And then of course, there was Michael. Monroe looked at him right now as he sat quietly next to her, his hand entwined with hers as he rubbed the top of her thumb with the pad of his; she knew he would do anything for her. He made her feel like she could get through all of this, he made her feel stronger, and most importantly, he made her feel like someone cared about her even when she didn't want to care about herself. They hadn't said that they loved each other, but the feelings were there, even if the two didn't want to admit to it.

"You think it's time to head over my dad's?" Michael whispered to Monroe as he noticed Alexis getting up to put on a pot of coffee.

"Yeah, I guess that's a good idea, let's say goodbye" Monroe said, getting up. "Are you coming Kris?"

Kristina sat silently for a minute before nodding yes and standing up as well. Monroe went over to hug Alexis and thank her for dinner, and said goodbye to Maxie, Spinelli, and Morgan as well. She then went over to Sam and hugged her to say bye as well.

"Bye Hun, are you coming home after you go to Sonny's? Or over to Michael's?" Sam asked Monroe. She loved the way Sam called where they lived home, now.

"I think I'll come home." Monroe said and Sam smiled.

The three of them made their way out into the chilly air and quickly into Michael's car. Monroe was happy that Kristina was coming, because she had a feeling that Sonny was going to announce his and Brenda's marriage tonight and she knew Kristina would be a little bit excited about that, considering Brenda was a supermodel, and would be her stepmom. The ride over to Sonny's was pretty quiet, mostly because they were feeling tired, holidays always did that.

When they entered the house, Sonny and Brenda were sitting on the couch together, sipping red wine and gazing into each other's eyes. Monroe couldn't believe how fast things were going for them. They had broken each other's hearts and she had only been back for a few short months and now they were engaged to married. Sonny motioned for them to sit down. Monroe said across Michael's lap on the arm chair and Kristina sat on the other end of the long couch.

"So how was Thanksgiving dinner at your mom's?" Sonny asked, mostly looking at Kristina.

"It was good, Sam brought over a ton of food. What did you two do?" She asked, making conversation.

"I just made the two of us something homemade, maybe next year we can do a big dinner together." Sonny said smiling at Kristina who nodded, trying to be friendly.

There were a few moments of awkward silence before Brenda decided to speak up. "Well I wish Morgan and Dante were here so we could tell all of you at once, but the reason we had you come over for dessert was because we have an announcement to make" She said, smiling widely at Kristina and then over to Michael, although, he already knew the announcement.

"What is it?" Kristina asked curiously.

"Well, you know that your father and I love each other very much. And, we were in love before and it never really went away. And, okay, well… your dad proposed to me and I said yes" Brenda said excitedly, almost kicking her legs. Kristina raised her eyebrows before smiling back.

"Wow, I'm surprised. But that's really nice… Michael… Brenda is going to be our stepmom" Kristina said to Michael, hoping he would say something because she didn't really have much more input.

"Yeah, that's cool. I'm glad you two are happy. You two deserve it." Michael offered, quietly.

"So when is the date?" Kristina asked.

"February 18" Brenda said very enthusiastically.

"Oh… 2012?" Kristina asked, even though in her head she was assuming it was actually going to be 2011, knowing how crazy her dad could be and hearing so many stories about how crazy Brenda is.

"No, no, no… 2011… like next month. Isn't that great?" Brenda stated.

"Oh, of course. That's so nice" Kristina said and Sonny smiled, glad that it went over well. They talked about the wedding date a little bit longer. Brenda even went as far as to ask Michael and Kristina to be in the wedding, and they of course agreed.

"So are Dante and Lulu coming over at all?" Michael asked his dad.

"He said he was, but I said around 7 and its getting close to 8, so I don't know" Sonny answered following Brenda into the kitchen to get the desserts.

As soon as they walked out of the room, Dante and Lulu walked into the living room giving hugs to Michael, Kristina, and Monroe.

"So where are Sonny and Brenda?" Dante asked as he looked around the living room.

"Right here" Brenda chimed in a sing song voice as they entered the living room and set down an assortment of desserts onto the coffee table.

"Yum!" Kristina said as they all picked up little plates and put what they wanted onto them.

"Well, you guys missed the big announcement, I just couldn't wait any longer and told Michael, Kristina and Monroe" Brenda said, Dante just nodded his head and said nothing. "Well…don't you want to know what the announcement is?"

"Oh yeah, sure. What is it?" Dante asked.

"Your father and I are getting married!" Brenda said enthusiastically and Dante was taken aback. By now, everyone had known that Dante guarded Brenda a few years ago and he was the one who covered up the murder, and even some assumed that they were romantically involved, but nobody knew the biggest secret of all.

"You are..." Dante said quietly and Brenda got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Yep, February 18th, it's coming up so fast!" Brenda said smiling at everyone.

"This is sick" Dante said, throwing his plate back onto the coffee table and storming out. Everyone was completely shocked and Lulu went to stand up and go after him.

"Hey, let me talk to him for a minute. If that is okay?" Michael asked.

"Yeah, go ahead." Lulu told him and Michael walked outside, finding Dante standing against a tree, staring up at the sky.

"Hey" Michael said when he reached Dante.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to freak out. I'm just so sick of this bullshit and hiding things from Lulu and Sonny. I'm done with it and them getting married is just making me feel like the truth needs to come out even more"

"About you and Brenda dating way back when? I'm pretty sure they have already jumped to that conclusion" Michael said, hoping to calm him down.

"No, there's more and it is going to tear Lulu and I apart. It might even tear Sonny and Brenda apart."

"What are you talking about?" Michael asked, getting worried.

"Back when I was guarding Brenda, we dated and it was serious. Eventually, she got pregnant. We were going to have a life together, the three of us. But, the baby, my son, was stillborn. After that, our relationship kind of fell apart and I had to leave, but I left on good terms. And now… she is marrying my father, who could have been her child's grandfather. That is sick and I don't know how she's doing this" Dante confessed everything and Michael was really surprised.

"It is going to eat away at you if you don't tell Lulu and Dad soon and you have to tell them before…" just as Michael was about to finish his sentence they saw Lulu storm out of the mansion and towards the car.

"Find your own ride home; I never want to see you again!" Lulu screamed out as she got into the car and drove off, leaving Dante utterly confused as he ran into the house with Michael close behind. Michael looked around to see broken glass on the floor, Sonny nowhere in sight, and Kristina and Monroe comforting Brenda on the couch.

"What is going on here?" Dante said, almost shouting.

"I couldn't hide it anymore. It was making me feel sick to my stomach and I just wanted a clean slate. Sonny is upstairs, he didn't take it well and Lulu left. She is really angry. I'm so sorry I didn't let you tell her yourself" Brenda spoke, but then broke into sobs again.

"It's alright. I'll handle it… Michael can you take me home?" Dante asked.

"Yeah, let's get going" Michael said, mentioning to Monroe and Kristina.

"Are you going to be okay?" Monroe asked Brenda.

"Yeah, I'll be okay. Thank you." Brenda said, giving a fake smile. Kristina handed her another tissue before following Monroe, Michael, and Dante out to Michael's car.

* * *

Monroe walked into the penthouse and Jason and Sam were sitting on the couch, much like Brenda and Sonny were when they had walked into Sonny's house earlier that night, before the whole fiasco.

"How was dessert?" Sam asked.

"Dramatic" Monroe said with a sigh as she plopped down on the arm chair.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked, sitting up and giggling.

"Well. Sonny and Brenda announced their engagement to us. Then, Dante and Lulu came over and they announced it to them. Dante said, 'This is sick' and walked out and Michael went after him. Meanwhile, Brenda broke down and told us that Dante got her pregnant back when he was guarding her but it was stillborn. Lulu freaked out and left, Sonny threw his scotch at the floor and went upstairs, Brenda started hysterically crying… but eventually we got to leave." Monroe said, realizing that the only good part of dessert was getting to leave.

"Aw, I am sorry you had to deal with that. I wonder what is going to happen now" Sam said, looking at Jason who was still taking in all the information Monroe had just spit out. "So what are you going to do now?" Sam asked.

"I think I'm just going to take a long shower, get into pajamas, and maybe draw a little" Monroe said, thinking to herself how great that sounded.

"Sounds like a plan, we will just be down here" Sam said and Monroe smiled before heading up the stairs. As soon as Monroe was out of eye and ear shot, Jason pulled Sam on top of him into a passionate kiss and she tried pulling away, laughing.

"Why are you pulling away from me?" Jason asked kissing her more forcefully as Sam continued to laugh at him.

"Monroe is right upstairs!" Sam exclaimed, but Jason wasn't really listening to that.

"You heard her; she said she is going to be taking a long shower. I think … quickie" Jason said, kissing Sam's neck and ear lobe, before reaching her mouth again. He waited until the water turned on before unbuttoning Sam's jeans, which made her roll her eyes in amusement as she went along with his mission, although she knew inside, she would never be able to resist him.

Monroe did as she had planned; she took a long, long shower and changed into pajamas before sitting at her desk and drawing. When Sam was on her way upstairs to go to bed, she knocked on Monroe's door quietly, to see if she was still up.

"Come in" Monroe said as she saw Sam opening the door and walking in. Sam walked up to Monroe and looked at the picture that she was making with pastels.

"Wow that is a gorgeous drawing of a Christmas tree; we should hang it up when you are done. It would look great downstairs, now that all that pink shit is gone" Sam said and Monroe laughed at her.

"Okay, I will be done it soon."

"You know, tomorrow… Jason, you, and I should go get a real Christmas tree." Sam said, throwing the idea out there, hoping Monroe would think it was a good one.

"Really? That would be fun" Monroe said.

"Yeah, I think it would be. Michael can come to if he wants" Sam said, loving the idea more and more. She could tell how much Monroe liked doing family things, and getting a Christmas tree together was definitely a family thing.

"Okay, I'll let him know."

"Good" Sam said as she began to walk towards the door.

"Sam..." Monroe called out quietly.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for everything" Monroe said and Sam turned to smile at her.

"You're welcome sweetie, goodnight"

"Goodnight" Monroe said as Sam closed her bedroom door behind her and Monroe went back to her picture, smiling.

Monroe looked down at her phone and saw that it was close to midnight, she had been texting Michael all night. She told him of Sam's plans and how she wanted all of them to get a tree tomorrow and he said he wanted to join them. Monroe went to bed in an excellent mood, after having a beautiful day and looking forward to the next one.

The next morning Monroe woke up on her own at around 10am and got into the shower. After spending the better part of an hour getting ready for the day, she went downstairs to spend some time with Jason and Sam before Michael came over. Jason and Sam were laughing about something, and Monroe watched the couple interact with a smile. Sam must have made a joke about something Jason did because he grabbed her from behind and start tickling Sam until she couldn't breathe. It made Monroe wonder what her parents acted like when nobody was watching. She wondered if they hugged, kissed, or held each other the way she and Michael did, or the way Jason and Sam did. She wondered if they loved each other. She hoped they at least loved each other, since they certainly had an odd way of showing their love for her. She pushed those thoughts aside though; she had the perfect little family in front of her. Sam and Jason did everything in their power to protect her and make her happy and comfortable.

Monroe poured herself a bowl of cereal and sat at the dining room table eating quietly.

"Is Michael coming over?" Jason asked Monroe.

"Yeah, I just texted him and said I was done getting ready so he will be over sometime soon" Monroe informed Jason, who nodded his head.

"How are we going to fit a Christmas tree in a car?" Monroe asked curiously, she had never went out to get a Christmas tree, usually the maid put up a small fake one.

"I have something so that we can tie it to the roof"

"Oh, that makes sense" Monroe said.

"You've never had a Christmas tree before?" Sam asked.

"No, well a little fake one, but that's about it"

"Well… we are going to get a beautiful Christmas tree, and then go to the store and buy wonderful decorations to put on it, and then we are going to make hot chocolate and decorate the tree together" Sam said, excited. She was happy to be able to do things like this and Jason could tell. Wanting to do it when it was just the two of them was different then doing it with Monroe. It was a better experience with all of them doing these traditions together as a family.

By the time Monroe had finished her breakfast and brought down her finished product of what she had been working on last night, Michael had showed up. Sam found a frame to fit the picture in and hug it up next to where the tree they would later have was going to go. The four of them put on their layered clothes and made their way to the Christmas tree lot.

Every tree they looked at didn't seem perfect enough for Sam and Monroe. They walked around in what seemed like circles to Jason and Michael for over an hour.

"You know, after you decorate it. It's going to look fine no matter what" Michael mentioned.

"Yeah, yeah, we know… how about this one" Monroe asked, pointing to a tiny little tree.

"Well, that one will fit in the trunk so less work for Michael and I" Jason said laughing.

"How about we put that one at the top of the steps, and then we get this one?" Sam said, pointing to a short, full, tree.

"Yeah, that one looks perfect!" Monroe exclaimed excitedly. Michael and Jason were just as excited that they had decided on the trees so now they could go back inside where it was warm.

"You know… it is black Friday. Maybe after we take the trees home we should come back out and go shopping"

"You and Monroe can do that. Michael and I will be finding something else to do" Jason said and Sam gave him a pouty face which he just laughed at.

A couple hours later, the trees were put up and flawlessly decorated with white lights, and red and green ornamented balls and bows.

"Perfect" Monroe said silently, taking a sip of her hot chocolate with Michael standing behind her as they looked at the finished product together.

* * *

Next two chapters get kind of angsty I believe. Cant have perfection all the time!


	14. even more secrets revealed

Alright so a lot of you have guessed where I'm going with this story. So it mostly all comes out in this chapter. Just a little background info. Sam only had one scam marriage. It was with Bill Monroe, and he was the first and only when she was really young and Tracy never found out about it. It hasn't come out yet, although Jason does have an idea about it, that she did marry someone for money.

Hope this chapters not too confusing, and if you are confused I hope I can clear it up more in later chapters. read and review ! love it!

* * *

Monroe went downstairs to the living room and saw the mail sitting on the kitchen table. She was surprised to see that a few of them were addressed to her. She thought nothing of it as she began to open one that was labeled from an adoption agency. She opened it up and it contained two letters the first one read:

_Dear Monroe Raven Kennedy:_

_I am sorry to hear about the horrible things that have been happening to you and your family. I also heard that you emancipated yourself from your parents. Having heard that, I assumed that they hadn't told you that they are not your birth parents. I know this seems very shocking, but they said they would love you like their own. Your brother's best friend got involved in a huge mess and your brother Alexander convinced your parents to adopt you because his friend had gotten a 15 year old pregnant. She was sixteen when she had you and she was the one who picked your name, Monroe. I didn't know much else about her, maybe you could find her. Enclosed is your official birth certificate as well as adoption papers. I hope you have a bright future, and I hope me sending you a letter giving you all this information doesn't upset you. I saw the story in the news and on TV and I thought this would be the best way to let you know. If you need anything at all, feel free to call me at 610-993-3457._

_Sincerely,_

_Alicia Sanders_

Monroe looked at her official birth certificate, listed as her mother was an Angela Monroe. She was almost angry at the situation. How could a woman give her up for adoption to such horrible people? But, Monroe tried to look past that because there was no way that this Angela woman could have known, she didn't even know herself and she lived with them for sixteen years of her life. Monroe was deep in thought as she heard the penthouse door open. She looked up as Sam was walking through and closing the door behind her.

"What's wrong? You look upset?" Sam asked as she got closer to Monroe.

"Apparently I was adopted… Just got a letter from the adoption agency. The woman who worked on the case heard about my parents in the news and wanted to tell me." Monroe said, throwing the papers back on the kitchen table and giving a big sigh.

"What…no way" Sam said surprised as she picked up the letter and skimmed through it, she then turned over to the birth certificate. Monroe's mother was listed as an Angela Monroe. Suddenly, Sam got a weird feeling as she stared at the name, Angela Monroe… _Why did that name seem so familiar?_ She thought to herself, but she brushed that thought aside as she looked over at Monroe who was obviously upset.

"Well, at least those horrible people weren't your biological parents, even though you had to live with them for so long." Sam said, sitting down next to Monroe.

"Yeah, I know. It just sucks that I had different parents and maybe they would of actually treated me well, but I'll never know because my real mom gave me up for adoption" Monroe said, staring at Sam with tears in her eyes.

"Hey, hey. It is okay. All of that is over with, and you have Jason and I now and we will always be here for you, no matter what. And if all those bad things hadn't of happened, we would have never had the chance to meet you." Sam said and Monroe nodded her head, knowing it was true. "I bought some ice cream last night, do you want some?" Sam asked.

"That sounds amazing" Monroe said, smiling for the first time that morning.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Sam was feeling tired and she decided to lie down and take a short nap before heading to work later that night.

"_I don't want to give up my baby for adoption, but I have to, and besides, I have already found a wealthy family that will be able to give her what I can't" Sam told Cody, her father._

"_What do you mean you found a family for her? You never told me any of this" Cody asked his teenage daughter. He was really scared for her. He felt like he truly wasn't raising her right, it was mostly because he didn't have Evelyn around to help him. _

"_There is this guy, Alexander. He feels guilty that his friend took advantage of me and he said his family would take my baby and take care of her. They are loaded, dad. She can have anything she ever dreamed of." Sam said, it sounded so good out loud. She always said that Alex's friend, Donald, "took advantage" of her, when really it was much, much worse. She wouldn't be able to have the baby around as a reminder of that night, or as a reminder of Donald._

"_Are you sure that is what you want to do?" Cody asked his daughter, looking down at her belly that was growing more and more each day._

"_It is what is best for her, for both of us, I have no other options" Sam said to him, maybe if she kept saying it was for the best over and over again, she would eventually start to believe it. _

Sam awoke with a heart wrenching feeling. She knew that dream couldn't have been real. There was no way she would get pregnant and then give the baby up for adoption. As she thought about it more and more, she began to think about a night she spent in the hospital.

"_Okay Angela, Trenton and Melody are ready to take the baby whenever you are ready. Do you want to hold her one last time?" the nurse asked her, but got no response._

"_Angela?" the nurse said one more time._

"_Yeah, I would" Sam said, prompting her arms up for the nurse to place the baby in her arms. She still wasn't used to people calling her Angela. It was her father's new idea. Sam would go under as different aliases, marry men, take their money, and then leave them. Right now her name was Angela and she was engaged to be married to a man named Bill Monroe. It was sick to think that he was willing to marry her and she was nine months pregnant. That and the fact that she looked 17, because that was how old she was. Even if she told him she was 23. "Can I have a minute alone with her?" Sam asked the nurse._

"_Yeah sure" the nurse said, closing the door after putting the baby in her arms._

"_Hi sweetie. You know if I could... I would take you home with me right now. I thought it would be hard to look at you because you would remind me of Donald, but you look a lot like me so it is kind of nice. Either way though, I can't give you what you need. I'm no good to be your mommy right now and Alexander's parents seem like really nice people and they have lots of money to give you whatever you want. I told them I'd like them to name you Monroe, so we could be connected somehow. That is going to be my new last name soon. It would make such a pretty name." Sam said, talking to the baby who was fast asleep in her arms. Tears began falling as the nurse came back in to take the baby away._

"_Someone should be in soon so you can sign adoption papers. I know this is hard, but it is for the best" the nurse told her and all Sam could do was nod her had as uncontrollable sobs racked her body._

Sam was pulled out of the flashback as Jason walked into the room; he was scared at the look he saw in Sam's eyes.

"Sam?" He said, unsure of what to do, she looked like she was in a completely different world right now.

"Yeah?" Sam responded, being taken out of her memory.

"What is happening?" Jason asked.

"Nothing, nothing. Sorry, I just had a bad dream" Sam responded, it wasn't a bad lie after all.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

"No, it is fine. I must just be getting nervous about this case or something. I don't know why though. I've spied on cheating husbands plenty of times" Sam said with a fake smile. Jason didn't really believe her, but he didn't want to push it right now. They spent a little bit longer talking about what each was doing for the rest of the evening before Sam had to get ready for work and Jason had to leave.

When Sam realized Jason was gone she pulled out her phone to make a call with Lainey Winters, she knew she had to talk to someone about this, and she didn't want to put it off.

"Hello, Lainey Winters speaking. How may I help you?"

"Hi this is Sam McCall, I just really need to talk to you about something, and possibly it is blocked memory or PTSD but years later… I'm not the doctor. I don't really know. I'm just kind of freaking out" Sam said, in a rushed tone.

"Well you called at the exact right time. I just had two cancellations. Can you be here in an hour?" Lainey asked.

"Yes. See you soon" Sam said immediately as she hung up the phone, feeling a little bit better.

* * *

"Okay, why don't you sit down? You seemed really urgent on the phone. I'm glad I was able to get you in today." Lainey Winters said and Sam sat down. Sam was having more and more flashbacks, just in the hour she was waiting to leave to go to General Hospital. "So what is going on? Tell me as much as you can." Lainey asked politely.

"Okay, well recently. Jason and I have taken in this girl, Monroe Kennedy. She is Jason's godson's girlfriend. Her parents were sent to jail and she emancipated herself and we wanted her to move in with us so Michael, Jason's godson, could still see her all the time."

"Is she causing problems?"

"No. Nothing like that, she is perfect. It is just… Today she got a letter from an adoption agency saying that she was adopted and that her birth mother's name was Angela Monroe. As soon as I read the name I got this weird feeling. And then I had this dream about giving a baby up for adoption. And when I woke up I had a flashback about saying goodbye to a baby in the hospital and wanting the adoptive parents to name her Monroe. I think Monroe is my daughter, and I gave her up for adoption. But, I never remembered having a baby until right now. I don't know if it is my mind playing tricks on me or I really did give birth to her and give her up for adoption" Sam said, and she knew she must sound a bit crazy.

"But why would you say your name was Angela Monroe? And why would you want to block out an adoption. I mean an adoption isn't usually something people block out completely."

"I married a man named Bill Monroe and went under the alias Angela Monroe." Sam said, not offering any more detail.

"In the dream, I remember telling my dad that I was taken advantage of and I was giving the baby up for adoption because I didn't want to remember what I went through. I was raped. This guy named Donald raped me, and that is why I wanted to give the baby up for adoption"

"What it seems like to me is that you had a traumatic experience when you were younger and you completely blocked it out. Feeling comfortable around Monroe and becoming a mother figure to her when she moved in as well as seeing that she was adopted, triggered these memories to come out."

"I guess that makes sense, but I don't want to tell her unless I'm 100 percent sure. I don't want to make her go through another ordeal unless it's true. How can I be sure she is my daughter?" Sam asked the doctor, almost pleading.

"I think deep in your heart you know she is yours, but you can always do a DNA test. Get a strand of hair off her hairbrush, bring in her toothbrush, anything like that, and the doctor's here can compare it to yours." Lainey said, and Sam was already getting up to leave.

"Hey Sam, this is a lot to take in all in one day. I'd like to meet with you a few more times. And maybe even meet with Monroe after you find out the truth. You guys are going to need to talk everything out. Come clean with her. You are probably going to have more dreams and flashbacks. I can prescribe you medicine to help you sleep at night, but I can't do anything about the flashbacks right now, they are going to come on their own." Lainey Winters told her, and Sam waited to get a subscription for sleeping pills.

* * *

Monroe was going to spend some time over at Michael's house. Things between them had gotten a little bit strained lately, mostly because Michael had been having nightmares and they were really affecting his mood. She wanted to cheer him up and spend some time with him like they used to before the trial with her parents.

She walked up to the Jax's mansion and knocked on the door, she was surprised when Carly was home to let her inside.

"Hey Monroe, Michael's upstairs in his room, it sounds like he is working out" Carly said, motioning that it was okay for Monroe to go upstairs.

Monroe walked up the stairs slowly, staring at the art that filled the walls until she finally made it to Michael room. She opened his door slowly and saw that he was punching a punching bag, really hard. When he started to slow down she said his name a few times but she got no response. She put her hand on his shoulder, which was obviously the wrong thing to do as he turned around and pressed his hand against her throat.

"Don't you ever fucking touch me" Michael said in a threatening tone as he pushed Monroe onto his bed and out of her way. The look in his eyes was unlike anything Monroe had ever seen before.

"Michael" Monroe said with tears in her eyes and it brought Michael out of what ever he was thinking about.

"Monroe… Oh my god Monroe, what did I do?" Michael asked as he took of his gloves to get closer to her but she stood up and backed away.

"Please don't touch me." She said, backing away and getting closer to the door.

"Monroe, please. I'm sorry. I was in a different place. I never meant to hurt you." Michael said trying to get closer to her.

"I have to go. I'm sorry" Monroe said, running down the stairs and out the door. Luckily Carly wasn't in the living room anymore so she didn't see the big departure Monroe made as she got into her car and slammed on the gas, hurrying back to the penthouse.

The whole way home, all Monroe could think about was Michael putting his hand around her throat like that and pushing her to the side, which happened to be his bed. It brought back memories of her ex boyfriend and she immediately felt sick to her stomach. She cried all the way to the penthouse and couldn't stop thinking about what had happened, she felt like it was her fault for not telling anyone that Michael needed help. She looked at her phone and saw that she already had three missed calls from Michael and she felt bad, but she didn't want to talk to him right now.

She made her way up to the penthouse and she felt like she was going to throw up. She opened the door and realized she wasn't going to make it all the way upstairs. Sam and Jason were sitting in the living room as she ran past them, into the kitchen, hurling into the trashcan. Tears were still falling from her eyes as she rinsed her mouth out. She turned around to see Jason and Sam both standing in the doorway, staring at her.

"Monroe? What's wrong?" Sam asked, scared. Jason was unsure also, he had never seen her like this, even when her parents were locked up.

"It is Michael. He really needs help. I can't hide his secrets for him anymore." Monroe said, as she fell collapsed on the ground, letting sobs take over.


	15. together

Sorry that its kind of a short one :) read and review!

* * *

"Monroe? What's wrong?" Sam asked, scared. Jason was unsure also, he had never seen her like this, even when her parents were locked up.

"It is Michael. He really needs help. I can't hide his secrets for him anymore." Monroe said, as she fell collapsed on the ground, letting sobs take over.

"Sweetie, what are you talking about?" Sam asked, kneeling down in front of Monroe, pushing the hair out of her eyes.

"This is all my fault. I didn't think it would get like this" Monroe said, shaking her head. Now, Sam was sitting cross legged in front of her, trying to get through to her.

"Monroe, why don't you just start from the beginning" Jason said, reaching into the cupboard to get her a glass of water and handing it to her. Both she and Sam then stood up.

"Well I have a feeling he is going to be here shortly and I really don't want to see him. But, when we first started dating he told me about him going to jail and all of that. He also told me about Carter. I think all you both know is that they got into a fight, but Michael told me that he sexually assaulted him. He made it clear to me that he wasn't raped, but I think Carter touched him a few times and Michael is having a really hard time with it. He was doing well for awhile, I guess because he was focusing on me with all I was going through with my parents. But, we got into an argument at homecoming, and after that it's just escalated. He keeps telling me he's been having nightmares about it… and then tonight" Monroe said, feeling tears build up in her eyes again.

"What happened tonight?" Jason asked sternly, he was waiting for Sam to say something but she was looking to surprised to say anything.

"Carly let me in and told me he was upstairs working out. I walked into his room and he was punching a punching bag, when he lightened up on it I said his name a few times, and got no response… I… I put my hand on his shoulder and he turned around really fast and put his hands around my throat. He said 'don't ever fucking touch me' and then pushed me over" Monroe explained, she was still shaking.

"And then what?" Sam finally asked.

"I got up really fast and he snapped out of it. He realized it was me and started freaking out. He kept on trying to come near me but I was still confused and I just told him not to come near me and I ran out of the house. He has been calling me since I left" Monroe told them. Jason had both of his hands covering his face as he breathed in deeply. He couldn't help but blame himself for what happened to Michael in prison.

"Well, all that matter's right now is that the both of you are okay and you didn't start a fight with him. You walked away. That really was the best idea, even if it didn't feel like it at the time" Sam told her, and Monroe felt a little bit better.

"I felt so bad just leaving him and telling him not to come near me, he's going to think I think he is like a freak or something. It isn't even like that, it just really scared me and reminded me of Conner and I just had to get out of there" Monroe explained and Sam looked at her kind of confused.

"Conner?" Sam asked.

"Bad relationship, in the past." Monroe couldn't believe she slipped up and mentioned Conner. Michael and Kristina were the only people that had any idea that she was in an abusive relationship. She could tell Sam was about to push the subject further but just then the penthouse door flew open and Michael came through.

"Monroe? Where are you?" Michael asked calmly and they all walked out of the kitchen. "Oh god, I'm so sorry." Michael said and he opened his arms, hoping Monroe would accept the hug, and she did. He ran his fingers through her hair and kissed the top of her head, pulling her as tight as possible. "You have no idea how sorry I am. I promise you that will never happen again Monroe, not ever." He apologized over and over again and she could tell he was seconds away from crying.

"It's okay. Look, I need to tell you something"

"What is it?" Michael said, pulling away from her as their blue eyes met each other.

"I told Jason and Sam what you told me about what happened in prison. I thought if you just told me everything that happened and we got through it together, it would be enough. But, I was being naïve. You need to talk to someone who is a professional at handling situations like this, so you can get better." Monroe told him, afraid of what he would say. For awhile, he didn't say anything.

"I understand" Michael said finally. "I guess we can't sort this out together. And I don't ever want to hurt you again" Michael realized he had to make this better. It was different when he woke up and mistook Dante for someone trying to hurt him, or even Jax. This was Monroe, his girlfriend. He was supposed to protect her, not scare her.

"I'm glad" Monroe said with a smile. "I'll even go with you if you want." Monroe said and Michael nodded his head as they sat on the couch together. Jason and Sam stood awkwardly watching the two make up.

"Michael, you know, you could have told me. I could have helped." Jason mentioned.

"I know. It was just embarrassing. The only reason I told Monroe is because I wanted her to know how messed up I was before we got serious. And she stayed, and I still messed it up" Michael said, putting the blame on himself.

"Hey, it's fine... We're fine." Monroe said, resting a hand on his leg. "I bet we could even find a therapist that is outside of Port Charles, one that knows nothing about you." Monroe offered, and Michael thought that sounded a lot better.

"Monroe's right. We could find you one from anywhere you want. He could come here, you could go there, anything you want, Michael." Sam said, and Jason nodded in agreement.

"Thanks. We can figure that out tomorrow" Michael said.

"Yeah… I had a night planned for us of just watching movies like we did before my parent's trial."

"That sounds like fun. Why don't you guys go upstairs and get to that, then" Sam said in a joking matter, but mostly because she wanted to talk to Jason about her recent discovery.

"Alright, let's go" Monroe said to Michael, grabbing his hand and leading him upstairs.

"Well you were awful quick to get rid of them after what Michael just told us. What is going on?" Jason asked.

"I know, I just could tell Michael didn't want to talk about it anymore and he agreed to get help, which is the best part" Sam said.

"Yeah, I guess you are right. So what is going on? You seem off today" Jason asked, taking her hand and taking her to sit down next to him on the couch.

"I think Monroe is my daughter" Sam blurted out and Jason just stared at her utterly confused.

"What?" Jason asked, and Sam continued to explain everything. Starting with the adoption papers Monroe had received earlier that day.

"I know it seems crazy, but it just seems right to me. She looks like me; we have the same hair, the same body type, even the same laugh. She just reminds me so much of myself its crazy." Sam said, smiling at him, Jason was still stuck on the part about her being raped by someone that was connected to the Balkan's son. That could be dangerous if this Donald guy, ever came looking for Monroe, now that her parents were in jail.

"You conned someone into marrying you and then you stole their money?" Jason asked. "Wait; let me make that statement even better…You conned someone into marrying you when you were nine months pregnant, stole all of their money, and then left them?" Jason asked.

"Well he thought I was being a surrogate for my friend. And, yes. I'm not proud of it. You know how my life was before I got here. Even when I first got here I was still having a rough time. I'm not happy with how all of that happened, but it's in the past" Sam explained and Jason nodded understandingly.

"No, I mean. It doesn't change how I feel about you, at all. I mean you convinced someone to marry you while you were nine months pregnant. That just amazes me. You were a completely different woman back then Sam McCall." Jason said and Sam knew it was true.

"I know. But anyways, What if Monroe is my daughter? How will I tell her?"

"Exactly how you just told me. She's got a good head on her shoulders, and she loves you already. She will be happy to know you are her birth mother and not some psycho bitch that is in jail now" Jason said.

"I know, but do you think she will blame me for leaving her with those horrible people?"

"No, she didn't even know how horrible they were until recently. And she will understand, I mean you were put into a bad situation, and you were only 17 years old. It is reasonable. Who knows where you both would be if you kept her when you were that young" Jason said, putting things into perspective for her.

"Thank you for saying all of that. I just feel like this is my second chance with her." Sam said, cuddling closer to Jason onto the couch. Smiling as she heard Monroe's laughter coming from up stairs.

* * *

"I wonder how Dante and Lulu are doing" Monroe said out loud when they were in the comfort of her bedroom. Not wanting to talk about the previous nights events.

"No idea, I'm sure they will get back together. Stuff like that just happens to couples around here, kind of just have to go with the flow"

"What do you mean?" Monroe asked curiously.

"Well, think about it. Name four women in Port Charles and I can name at least three men they have history with…also in this town." Michael challenged.

"Okay. Alexis, Carly, Sam, and Maxie" Monroe thought of the top of her head.

"Oh that is easy… Alexis has been with Jax, Sonny, and Ric Lansing. Ric Lansing is my dad's half brother. My mom has been with Jason, Sonny, and Jax… Sam has been with Sonny, Jason and Lucky, and Maxie has been with Lucky, Spinelli, and she is currently with someone at General Hospital" Michael said.

"So what you're saying is everybody has a past with everyone, and it is no surprise to you that Dante, someone whose father is someone from Port Charles, would have connections with a woman in Port Charles." Monroe stated, wondering if she had figured it out.

"Exactly" Michael nodded.

"So what you are also telling me is that you probably are fathering children by three different women around here that I don't know about" She asked jokingly.

"Oh yeah... I meant to tell you about that. Hope it isn't a problem." Michael retorted, as they laughed together and she threw a pillow at him.

"So what did you do before coming over today?" Michael asked Monroe.

"Ate lots of ice cream with Sam." Monroe responded. Lying down on the bed as Michael sat up next to her, her leg lying across his lap.

"And why did you eat lots of ice cream?" Michael asked.

"I found out I was adopted. Trenton and Melody aren't my biological parents." She told him, she still couldn't believe it.

"What, that is crazy" Michael stated.

"Believe me, I know. Apparently my birth mother's name is Angela Monroe and my birth father's name is Donald something." Monroe said, rolling her eyes.

"Your birth mother's last name is your first name… that seems weird. Are you going to try and contact her?"

"What good will that do? I mean she never tried to come find me. I'm happy now, I don't want to dishevel my life again" Monroe confided in Michael.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I mean you are already 17 and Sam and Jason and do everything for you that real parents should. Maybe it is best if you don't know who your real mom is" Michael agreed. After a couple minutes of silence, Michael began to talk again. "Can I say again how sorry I am for what happened early?" he said, looking at Monroe seriously.

"It's okay. I understand. I'm sorry I freaked. It just reminded me of my ex and I just had to leave before I freaked out even more" Monroe explained, knowing the conversation would eventually loop back to that.

"Your ex used to hit you a lot?" Michael asked.

"Yeah… well at first it would be only if he had been drinking, then if I talked to another guy or if I didn't do something he wanted me to do, and then it turned into him hitting me for no reason at all and I was scared, I didn't know how to get out of it without him hurting me even worse. He would threaten me or say he was going to go after my friends and hurt them, he was insane." Monroe explained, not wanting to sound like she just let it happen.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that, what got rid of him completely?" Michael asked.

"Well towards the end of my junior year he got interested in another girl. But, I didn't completely lose contact with him until I moved to Port Charles" Monroe said.

"That's horrible. You shouldn't have had to deal with a relationship like that. He's a pathetic excuse for a man" Michael told her, finally feeling comfortable enough to lie down next to her.

"I know and it is over with. I can move on" Monroe told him, smiling at him and Michael smiled back at her.

Michael felt terrible that he scared her like that, but he knew that she knew it was an accident and now they could move forward from it, together.


	16. i love you

Okay! Hope you like this chapter. Next chapter Sam will be telling Monroe that she is her mother! Promise. I just wanted to add this in because it's a really important chapter, especially when it comes to Michael and Monroe! READ AND REVIEW! love all you faithful reviewers, you are the ones that help me keep wanting to write more and more!'

* * *

The next weekend was the last weekend before Michael would start therapy. He said he wanted one free weekend before he had to start talking about what he experienced in prison because he knew that would change his moods. He told Carly about what happened and she was having a really hard time with it, worse than Michael. Sonny didn't know what Michael was going through and Michael knew he was getting enough support from Jason, Carly, Sam, and Monroe to have to go as far as to tell anyone else right now.

Michael and Monroe decided that this weekend they would visit New York City like he had promised her they would on her birthday. Jason and Sam thought it was a good idea, but Carly didn't. When it came down to it though, she really didn't have much of a say in the matter.

After school Michael and Monroe went to their separate houses to pack and decided they weren't going to get to New York City until dinner time.

"Sam? Do you know where my black jeans are? I can't find them anywhere?" Monroe said as she walked down the stairs.

"No, Let me check my room" Sam said standing up. Often their clothes got mixed up because they were the same size and had some of the similar clothing. "Oh, here they are. I think these ones are yours" Sam said tossing her a pair of black jeans she pulled out of her drawer.

"Thanks" Monroe said with a smile as she went back into her room and packed. Sam stared at her smile and watched her as she walked away. Sam noticed more and more things that they had in common. There smile, hair color, and body type was obvious, but there was also a lot of things that Sam wouldn't think they would have in common since they never lived together before now. They both used their hands when they talked, they both scrunched up their nose when something was funny, they both covered their mouth when they were excited, and they both played with their hair all the time. Then there were other things that Sam discovered recently that made her really think they were blood related. They were both allergic to latex, watermelon, and raw tomatoes. Sam couldn't wait to get the results back in the morning to verify it, and be able to tell Monroe that she was her mother.

Sam heard a knock on the door and she opened it to see Michael there with a suitcase packed.

"Hey Michael, come in" Sam said, and Michael made his way in, putting his small suitcase next to the sofa.

"Monroe's upstairs, you can go up if you want" Sam told Michael and he made his way upstairs. He opened up the door and saw Monroe packing two suitcases as well as filling her oversized purse with things.

"Babe, were going away for two nights. Why are you packing for a week?" Michael asked.

"What? This is nothing. I still feel like I don't have enough" Monroe said.

"You know, you really surprise me. Sometimes you aren't girly at all and then other times, like this, you just are overwhelming girly." Michael said and Monroe rolled her eyes at him.

"It's not my fault. I just like to be prepared and I never know exactly what I want to wear until I wake up." Monroe explained and Michael nodded his head, pretending to understand.

"Well hurry it up, I'm starving" Michael said, holding his stomach.

"Alright, fine. I'm pretty much done." Monroe said, closing up both bags. Michael grabbed both bags and Monroe threw her purse over her shoulder as they went downstairs.

"All ready to go?" Sam asked as she took a sip of her tea.

"Yep, apparently I have to be, because Michael is hungry" Monroe said jokingly, winking at Michael.

"Alright. Well have a good time. Call me when you get to the hotel. And preferably some time on Saturday. Keep her safe" Sam said, pointing at Michael.

"I will" Michael said, agreeing.

"Okay. Hugs." Sam said, hugging Monroe and then Michael. Finally, they were on their way out the door.

"You know, she acts more and more like a mom every day" Michael said to Monroe when they were out of the penthouse.

"I know" Monroe said with a laugh. It was true though. It was starting to become a habit for Monroe to call Sam when she wasn't going to be home after school or to let her in on her plans for the weekend. They went shopping together and ate dinner together a lot since Jason was always working. They always said goodnight to each other and Sam was always keeping the house stocked with Monroe's favorite foods. Monroe felt more at home with Sam then she ever did with her own parents.

After dinner, Michael and Monroe went back to the hotel and decided that from there, they would decide what they were going to do for the rest of the night and the next day. Entering the five star hotel room was amazing to Monroe, she had seen her parent's hotel often, but this one was spectacular compared to that. The room was huge and a gigantic flat screen TV and a huge spa like bathroom. Monroe set her purse down on the chair and plopped onto the bed. She was hoping nothing got awkward because she and Michael hadn't slept over each other's houses very often since the night she found out her dad's identity. It was even more uncomfortable because they both knew no adults were around to interrupt.

"I guess I should call Sam" Monroe said and Michael shook his head in agreement. Monroe pulled out her cell phone to call.

"Hey Monroe" Sam said as she answered the phone.

"Hey"

"So you guys made it to the hotel okay?"

"Yeah, we just got here from dinner."

"How is the hotel? How was dinner?"

"The hotel is amazing and dinner was really good. I had never been there before. What are you and Jason doing?" Monroe asked.

"I'm probably just going to make him watch a chick flick or something" Sam said with a laugh that made Monroe laugh. Little did Monroe know that on the other end of the phone Sam was dressed in very revealing clothes, waiting for Jason to come home for the night. After all, they did have the penthouse to themselves all weekend.

"Sounds fun. Ok, well I'll talk to you sometime tomorrow."

"Ok, be safe" Sam said, hanging up the phone.

"So what do you want to do tonight?" Michael asked Monroe after she was done on the phone. Monroe motioned with her hand for Michael to come sit next to her. When he sat down to her, she faced his and pulled him into a deep kiss. They hadn't really had time to do things like this and Monroe had been respecting his boundaries a lot more than usual because she knew he was dealing with a lot.

"What are you doing?" Michael asked softly when they pulled away from each other.

Monroe looked at him nervously, she was surprised at what she knew she was about to say.

"Make love to me Michael." she whispered, staring at him, unsure of what his reaction would be. But she knew she had to give it a try.

"What?" he said softly, wanting to make sure he had just heard her right. As she stood up in front of him, stand in between his legs, she felt his hands making their way around her waist.

"Make love to me." she repeated.

He locked his eyes with her as her words ran through his head a million times over. He felt like this wasn't really. He never expected her to say anything like this, especially with everything going on lately.

"Are you sure?" he asked and she nodded.

Michael stood up and took her hand in his, leading her over to the bed. He was scared out of his mind, but for some reason, other than the fact that she was absolutely gorgeous, he wanted to do this. He wanted to fight his demons and make this happen. Show that Carter hadn't won; he could still be normal and live a normal life.

As they lay down next to each other, he wrapped his arm over her small frame and then pushed a few stray hairs out of her face, he was being so delicate with her, and she felt so at ease with him.

"I love you, Monroe" Michael said, in all honesty and it made Monroe's heart literally skip a beat.

"I love you too, Michael" Monroe replied, kissing him softly.

And then, he did exactly what she asked of him.

* * *

The next morning, both of them felt a lot more connected than ever before. It wasn't just because they had had sex with each other, but because they had said I love you to each other and that was a really big step. Monroe felt so comfortable with him, especially now. She really hoped Michael felt the same way too.

Monroe opened her eyes to see Michael staring at her.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you it is rude to stare?" Monroe asked, jokingly, of course.

"It's hard not to stare at something so beautiful" Michael said and Monroe almost wanted to laugh at the corniness of it, but she smiled at his sincerity.

"You're sweet" she said, sitting up and reaching down next to the bed to throw some clothes on.

"I ordered room service for breakfast. It should be hear any minute"

"Mmmm, can't wait." Monroe said, kissing him on the cheek and then rushed into the bathroom to make herself look more presentable. She heard the room service come and leave and she then walked out of the bathroom. She looked on the table and saw plenty of food. Pancakes, French toast, bacon, eggs, and fruit. "This looks yummy" Monroe said sitting down next to Michael at the table.

"So what do you want to do today" Michael asked, looking at her and then over to the bed again. Considering last time he asked her a similar question they winded up in bed together.

"Nope, not going to work this time. We came to New York City to see things outside, not stay in the hotel room all weekend" Monroe said, cutting up her pancakes into little bite size pieces.

"Okay, so do you want to go to that art museum and teach me some things?" Michael asked.

"I suppose. I'll make it interesting, I promise" Monroe told him.

"I'm sure" Michael said, putting a piece of bacon into his mouth.

* * *

After breakfast, Monroe got into the shower and changed into her black jeans and a long sleeve shirt. She decided she was probably going to need a hoodie to wear over that and of course she had brought one. She decided to let her hair dry naturally and she would put her make up on outside of the bathroom so Michael would have more than five minutes to get ready.

Monroe was right; she did make it interesting for Michael. It wasn't necessarily that he found the art to be that amazing; it was just how passionate she was about it, and how much information she had to give him. He could ask her any question about the elements of any piece of art in the whole building and she could give him an accurate answer. After walking around the museum for a good two hours, they made their way to Central Park, just to walk around and talk, hand in hand like a lot of couples in the park that day. It wasn't that cold for being the beginning of December, but Monroe still used it as an excuse to cuddle up with Michael.

"Hey, there's a hot chocolate stand. Want me to get us some?" Michael asked pointing up ahead to a cart.

"Yeah, that sounds good. I'll just wait near this bench" Monroe said, motioning to the bench that was a few feet away.

As Michael walked away Monroe walked over to the bench but decided to stand against the tree near it just to get a better look at the busy cars passing by in the distance.

"I knew it was you." Monroe heard a man say and as she looked to her right she was immediately frightened at who she saw next to her.

"Conner" Monroe deadpanned, trying her best to look unafraid.

"What are you and your little boyfriend doing around here? I told you that you would always be mine. I thought you understood that." Conner said, moving even closer to her.

"Please just go away, I don't want any problems" Monroe pleaded.

"What's going on here" Michael asked, setting the hot chocolates down on the ground.

"I'm Conner. Monroe's ex boyfriend. I'm sure she told you about me. I was the best she ever had" Conner said, moving closer to Michael now. Conner was about the same height as Michael, but he didn't look as strong.

"Why don't you get out of here, dickhead" Michael said, giving him a cold stare.

"Sure, I'll get out of here. But I always come back and if not, Monroe always comes back to me" Conner said with a sick laugh, walking away. Monroe wanted to retaliate and say something back but she knew it might cause a fight between Michael and Conner and nobody needed that right now.

"Are you okay? He can't hurt you" Michael assured her as he picked up the hot chocolates and pulled Monroe closer to him.

"I know he just makes me sick" Monroe said honestly and Michael nodded, completely understanding where she was coming from.

"I'll never let anything happen to you" Michael said and Monroe believed him.

* * *

They decided to leave Central Park and walk around in a couple stores before stopping for lunch. They found a little café that reminded them a lot of Kelly's and sat down to order some sandwiches. They were interrupted from their conversation when Michael's phone started to go off and Michael saw that it was Jason.

"Hello?" Michael asked.

"Hey. You and Monroe need to come home. Brenda was attacked this morning and he said he was someone who wanted justice for Trevor Kennedy. I want her here with guards. I'm sorry to cut your weekend short but it's necessary."

"No, I understand, we will be home as soon as possible"

"Okay, stay in public as much as possible, and stay away from the Kennedy hotel"

"Okay, see you soon"

"Alright, call me or tell Monroe to call Sam when you are in the car on the way home"

"We will." Michael said, and hung up the phone.

"What is going on?" Monroe asked.

"Brenda was attacked this morning, by someone that knew your father, Jason wants us to get back to Port Charles so the guards can protect you as well as Jason and I" Michael explained and Monroe sat back in her seat.

"This is never going to end, is it?" Monroe asked.

"It will, Jason will fix this." Michael comforted her. They finished their lunch as quick as possible and made their way back to the hotel to go back to Port Charles. What started out as an amazing weekend, ended on a rather bad note.


	17. reunited

So, Monroe and Michael had sex! I hope you guys didnt think it was too soon. I didnt think so because Michael wasn't raped in jail, just assaulted. It was still traumatic but not as horrible as they make it in the show. The next chapter does enter into some of Michael's demons though, because it will be his therapy sessions and all that.

"She should be home by now Jason, I'm getting worried" Sam said to Jason anxiously, she had been pacing the penthouse, walking back and forth in front of the dining room table for a good fifteen minutes.

"I'm sure everything is fine, Sam" Jason said, trying to calm her fears. He was getting a little nervous that they hadn't arrived yet, but he knew there was no reason to be alarmed. New York City always had traffic.

"You're right" Sam said, stopping for a second because she thought she heard the elevator at the end of the hall ding. "This really makes me want to tell her what I confirmed this morning. I worry about her like she's my daughter, because she is." Sam said, smiling from ear to ear at Jason who was of course, smiling back. When Sam had found out what in her heart she already knew, she was really happy. Jason loved seeing her happy. "I'm going to go make some strawberry lemonade so we have some in the fridge for her" Sam said, going into the kitchen to busy herself.

A couple minutes later, Michael and Monroe both walked through the penthouse door.

"Hello?" Monroe questioned, setting her purse down on the couch. As she did, Jason and Sam emerged from the kitchen together.

"You're back!" Sam said happily, handing her a glass of strawberry lemonade. "Do you want anything to drink, Michael?" Sam asked, but he shook his head no.

"So what is going on?" Michael asked, wanting to know if his girlfriend was in any real danger.

"This morning, Brenda was leaving a dress store and Max was making a call. A man with a mask pulled her into an alley and pushed her against the wall. Said he wanted revenge for what happened to his boss and his boss' son and that Brenda wasn't safe as long as he was around" Jason explained.

"Did he mention Monroe at all?" Michael asked.

"No, but I'm not sure he would know Monroe's whereabouts. He might, but to attack Brenda means he is mad about her killing Alexander. I doubt he would know that Monroe told us who the Balkan really was" Jason explained, "I still want her to have guards on her again though, as a precaution."

"You can never be too safe." Sam chimed in and both Michael and Monroe nodded in agreement.

"Does Brenda know who he is" Monroe asked. "That woman has a lot of secrets." Monroe also said, and Jason and Sam couldn't help but agree.

"I wouldn't put it past her to be hiding something, but she said she doesn't know him" Jason said. "Until we get more information, you and Brenda are going to have guards on you twenty four seven" Jason told her, and she didn't argue.

After they were done talking about this new threat, Sam began to ask how New York City was, to get off the topic of something that was unpleasing to Monroe. Michael and Monroe told the day's event of going to the art museum in excruciating detail to avoid any questions of what they did the night before. Sam seemed really interested in the conversation, but she kept staring at Monroe and smiling, and Monroe didn't quite understand why Sam was acting a little different than usual.

"Do have good news or something Sam? You keep smiling, like… a lot" Monroe asked, laughing at how excited Sam got when Monroe asked her that question.

"Yeah, I do. I don't know how you are going to react to this, but it's really exciting and something that makes me really happy.

"What is it?" Monroe asked, she was extremely curious about what Sam had on her mind.

"Okay. Well, you know how you got that paper saying you were adopted by Trenton and Melody by an Angela Monroe?" Sam asked, not wanting to jump into the fact that she was Monroe's biological mother. By now, Michael and Monroe were sitting next to each other on the couch as Jason sat behind Sam on the armchair.

"Yes…" Monroe said, still confused.

"Well that day, I kept having these flashbacks and this dream. It was about giving a baby up for adoption. I didn't know if they were real or I wanted them to be, so I talked to a therapist. I kept all these things hidden because I was raped and I gave up my daughter for adoption and it was very traumatic for me, and none of it came to the surface until I saw you getting adoption papers."

"So did you find the baby that you gave for adoption?" Monroe asked curiously, assuming that was the good news.

"Yeah, you are." Sam said, with a huge smile and Monroe stared blankly at her for a second.

"What do you mean? My birth mother's name is Angela Monroe." Monroe said, still completely lost.

"I know. I had a really crazy life. My dad and I used to run cons together and while I was pregnant with you he came up with an idea for me to marry rich men, take their money, and leave them. I had met someone, Bill Monroe, and convinced him to marry me. That's why I was under the alias Angela Monroe and that's why they name is on your birth certificate. He thought I was being a surrogate mother for Trenton and Melody." Sam explained, and it started to make sense for Monroe.

"Oh…" Monroe said, unsure of what to say, she was kind of happy to know this, but still kind of baffled.

"I want you to know that I gave you up for adoption because I was raped and I thought being around a baby that was from rape would tear me apart. Then, I met you, and you looked just like me. I fell in love with you immediately. I wanted you to be my baby so bad but it was already figured out that you were going to adopted and I was in this big mess with a scam marriage. I didn't want you to be involved in all that. I was too young to raise you right. And as horrible as things were for you with Trenton and Melody, I think with me, being so young, things would have been a lot worse" Sam explained with tears rolling down her cheeks, and Monroe started to understand as tears welled up in her eyes as well. She stood up as did Sam and they embraced in a powerful hug. It was like being reconnected after years. Monroe always knew that Sam was going to be special to her; she just didn't know it was going to be this special.

"I'm the one that picked your name." Sam said, blubbering to the point of almost being inaudible now. "I knew it was my last name but I thought it was so pretty and I told the nurse to tell Melody to name you that." Sam said, happy that one part of Monroe's childhood would always be because of Sam.

"I guess this is like as second chance for you and me now. " Monroe said smiling at Sam and Sam was so happy to hear the words.

At this point, Michael and Jason were feeling a little awkward so they snuck out of the room so that Sam and Monroe could have some time together to talk about things.

"So I guess this kind of makes you Monroe's step dad or something" Michael said, laughing at the confusion of it all.

"She is like a daughter to me; I'll always look out for her. Especially now that she is Sam's daughter. She is important to both of us." Jason said. It was crazy the way life worked some times.

"So you're my uncle and Monroe's dad, so that makes Monroe and I like … cousins or something." Michael said joking around with a laugh. "Wait, wait. I just thought of something" Michael said.

"What?" Jason asked.

"Kristina is Sam's sister, which makes her Monroe's aunt. And Alexis is now a grandmother" Michael said, really amused at all the things he was discovering.

"Wow" Jason said, shaking his head and taking a beer out of the fridge. "I'm sure Kristina will love that" Jason said.

"Michael…do you know what I just figured out!" Monroe said, bursting into the kitchen.

"What?" Michael said smiling, she was so happy to find out Sam was her mom.

"Kristina is my aunt…I am going to text her now _… Hey Aunt Krissy_" Monroe said, entertaining herself and Michael rolled her eyes.

"Have you told your mom or anything yet?" Monroe asked Sam as she walked into the kitchen to join the trio.

"No, I just got the DNA results confirmed this morning. I was hoping we could tell them soon though." Sam said.

"Well I just texted Kristina, but I told her I'm not telling her why I called her Aunt Krissy through text. So I'm sure she will be over soon." Monroe told Sam.

* * *

The rest of the night went into Sam and Monroe discovering there new relationship. Jason went to work and Michael went home so Sam invited Alexis, Kristina, and Molly over for dinner. Alexis, Sam, and Monroe made three generations of strong women. Alexis was thrilled to find out she was Monroe's grandmother, although she told her she wasn't allowed to call her grandma for a few more years. Kristina and Monroe made jokes about having an Aunt and niece relationship, just as Alexis didn't want to be called grandma yet, Monroe didn't want to be calling someone who was a year older than her aunt. The situation was really humorous, as they told each other what they didn't want to be called.

* * *

What was most touching to Sam was that later that night when it was just the two of them, Monroe told Sam that she would eventually like to call her mom.

"I would be more than honored for you to call me Mom. I am so happy that you are my daughter and I am so happy to be your mom. I feel like we have so much to catch up and I'm so glad you found Michael, which lead you to Jason and I" Sam said, pulling Monroe into a hug as they sat on the couch together.

"You've been better to me than any adult I've ever been around. I'm so glad to live here with you and Jason. Speaking of…" Monroe said, pulling away from the hug and looking Sam in the eye.

"What?" Sam said with a laugh.

"When are you going to become Mrs. Samantha Morgan?" Monroe said, completely seriously.

"I don't know, it hasn't come up..." Sam said, dodging the question.

"What do you mean it hasn't come up… you don't think about being married to Jason. You guys are like perfect for each other" Monroe told her, leaning back into the couch comfortably.

"I think about marrying him all the time, but he hasn't asked me. And as much as I would like to marry him, I really am comfortable with our relationship now. What we have right now, is perfect." Sam said, sounding completely content.

"It may be, but I think marriage can only add to that perfection." Monroe said.

"Oh great, now I have three hopelessly romantic women in my life telling me how much I need to marry Jason. Two sisters and a daughter" Sam said, rolling her eyes as she took a sip of her drink.

"I'm going to talk to Jason" Monroe said and Sam almost spit out her water.

"No, no you aren't" Sam said laughing. "You don't need to talk to him about that." Sam said, shaking her head no.

"I don't know, I think I could give him a little kick in the right direction." Monroe said convincingly and all Sam could do was smile at her persistence. "I mean Christmas is coming out or better yet…Valentine's Day. I could totally plan a small wedding by then. I could make the invites. I mean, how great is that" Monroe said, mostly teasing Sam now and Sam could tell.

"You're being a bugger, little daughter of mine" Sam said, kissing the top of head before walking into the kitchen to put her glass in the sink. "I think I'm going to go to bed, how about you?" Sam asked Monroe.

"Yeah, I'm going to go up in a minute" Monroe told Sam.

"Alright... goodnight" Sam said, making her way up the stairs. She was hoping for a _goodnight mom_ from Monroe, but all she got was_ goodnight_. Sam figured it would be a little bit longer before Monroe was comfortable with calling her mom directly.

Monroe curled up on the couch and thought about everything that had happened that weekend. She and Michael had sex for the first time, which was amazing and everything she had hoped it would be. They got to spend most of Saturday doing everything she wanted to do, and then she came home that afternoon to find out that Sam was her mom. Aside from their being a new threat out there after Brenda, everything that happened that Friday and Saturday was great. She could only hope that things would stay this great.

* * *

So that was that! Read and Review! love you all and your reviews mean so much to mee!


	18. fighter

Alright. Here it is. and I leave you with a cliffhanger! I don't think I've ever really done that before? I like it! :) I kind of know where I'm going with this story and then again I kind of don't, but just bear with me. and read and review because it makes me happy!

Michael was really anxious about going to therapy and Monroe could tell. It was his third session and she wanted to comfort him as best she could without making him feel weak. She knew this was tearing him apart and he was hiding it from her. He always thought he was covering up his feelings so well, but she could tell that he thought about what Carter did to him a lot. He was trying to be in control for her, and sometimes she just wished he would break down and tell her everything that was going through his mind.

"Do you want me to go with you to your appointment?" Monroe asked Michael as they walked out of school, hand in hand. They were always holding each other in some way.

"No, my mom really wants to. I think it will make her feel better when she takes me" Michael told her and Monroe understood. "Thanks, though" he said, and Monroe nodded.

"Alright, well since your appointment is at 4:30, you should drop me off and get home."

"Yeah" Michael agreed as they got into the car together.

"You could come over after you're done if you want, I could make us dinner...or order a pizza. I think Jason and Sam are going out to dinner" Monroe offered. She still couldn't let the mom roll of her tongue so easily yet.

"That sounds good." Michael said, knowing Monroe would opt to order pizza even though she was a pretty good cook.

A few moments later they arrived out front of Harborview Towers, where Max was waiting outside to escort her up to the penthouse. Jason said it was alright if she went to and from school without a guard, but anywhere else she had to go with Max or Milo, or whoever was available.

"Alright, well I'll text you when I'm on my way over, later tonight." Michael said.

"Everything will be okay" she whispered in his ear as she got out of his car and walked up to where Max was.

As she walked into the Penthouse she felt really relieved to be home. She didn't understand why, but lately she didn't want to be in school and she didn't want to draw. She just felt like sitting around alone or being with Michael or Sam. Monroe didn't know why, but she felt on edge lately. She figured it was just because of everything Michael was going through and the fact that she had to have guards on her all the time.

After grabbing some carrot sticks and a bottle of water out of the fridge she sat down on the couch and decided to work on some homework. It wasn't long before Sam came home from work and was sitting down with her before she had to get ready to go out with Jason later that night.

"Oh, I meant to ask you if you slept okay last night" Sam said out of the blue, and Monroe didn't understand.

"What do you mean? Yeah I did." Monroe said, unsure as to why she was being asked though.

"Oh it's nothing. I just got up last night to get a drink and I checked on you and you were rolling around a lot. I thought maybe it was because you couldn't get comfortable or something, but you had a really upset look on your face. I was going to wake you but after a couple minutes you seemed to calm down… and you never made any noise" Sam explained.

"Oh, I don't know what that was all about. I don't remember having a bad dream or anything." Monroe said. Maybe that was why she was so on edge lately; she wasn't sleeping well…but why.

"Maybe you're just stressed" Sam suggested, and they both agreed on that and shrugged it off. "I guess I should go get ready for this date of mine." Sam said, standing up.

"Where are you guys going?" Monroe asked.

"I didn't ask. I'm hoping some place kind of nice because I want to wear this dress I bought the other day."

"You don't seem like the dress type" Monroe stated. From what she had observed, her mom wore tight jeans, leather jackets, and a lot of black and white shirts.

"I don't, really. But sometimes I see a dress I really like and I have to buy it." Sam explained, as she went up stairs to take a quick shower and get dressed.

Monroe finished most of her homework and looked at her cell phone and saw that it was 5:30. Sam and Jason had already left and she was alone for a little while. She looked around for the pizza menu and decided to order dinner because she figured Michael would be there soon. She was right, because Michael walked in the door less than ten minutes later.

"Hey" Monroe said, kissing him quickly as they sat down on the couch together. "How did your appointment go?"

"It…it went good." Michael said, unsure of himself.

"Oh, that's good… what did he say?"

"Oh, you know…" Michael said, which Monroe thought was an odd answer.

"No, actually I don't know. That's why I'm asking." Monroe didn't know where her attitude was coming from, but she couldn't help it.

"Just drop it." Michael said simply and Monroe was beside herself. She didn't understand why he had to be this way with her. She already knew what had happened, why couldn't he just talk to her about it, he said he loved her.

"Why do I need to just drop it? Why can't you just talk to me?" Monroe asked, getting more and more annoyed. She wouldn't usually act this way, in fact, she never acted this way. But today, Michael was really pushing her buttons.

"What is wrong with you?" Michael asked, she was never pushy like this.

"What is wrong with me… you're what is wrong with me." Monroe said, and as soon as the words came out she immediately regretted them, but for some reason she couldn't stop talking. "I'm your girlfriend and you can't even tell me anything. Something is wrong with you, not me." Monroe snapped at him. The madder she got, the madder he got as well.

"Yeah, there is something fucking wrong with me. That is why I went to therapy. I thought you understood that." Michael said, standing up, which caused Monroe to stand up as well.

"Where are you going?" Monroe asked as she saw Michael reaching to grab his coat.

"I'm leaving, before either of us says anything we regret." Michael said, and just that easily, he was gone.

Monroe grabbed her water bottle and threw it at the wall as hard she could, which just happened to be where the picture she had painted of the Christmas Tree was. It fell to the ground and shattered into fragmented pieces but Monroe didn't care. She was surprised when Max didn't come in; he was probably on the phone with Diane. Monroe ran up the stairs, tears falling down her eyes as she grabbed her coat. She opened her window which had fire escape stairs leading down to the ground. She didn't know why but she just wanted to get away. She wanted to walk around town without someone guarding her, watching her every move, and standing less than ten feet behind her at all times.

She grabbed her coat and purse and opened her bedroom window. She didn't even bother to close it behind her as she made her way down the stairs to the bottom floor. She saw Milo standing at the front entrance so she hopped the fence near the back entrance and was on her way to some much needed freedom. Little did she know, someone was hiding behind the dumpster, hopping the fence moments after her.

* * *

"Mrs. Kennedy. Your pizza is here" Max said happily as he opened the door. He had just had an interesting conversation with Diane, and he couldn't wait to get off work. He loved Monroe, she was a sweetheart most of the time, but he loved being with his girlfriend more. "Mrs. Kennedy?" Max said again, setting the pizza down on the dining room table. As he turned to the right to walk over in front of the couch, he tripped over a water bottle. As he picked it up he looked down and noticed that there was shattered glass all over the floor. The picture frame that had once been hanging behind the Christmas tree was now broken and lying on the floor.

"Monroe? Are you alright? Did you cut your hand?" Max asked as walked up the stairs. He figured she was in the bathroom cleaning up if she did in fact hurt herself on the glass. As he walked past the bathroom door he saw that it was wide open, with the light off. He noticed that Monroe's door was slightly open as he walked in slowly. "Monroe, are you in here?" Max asked. He glanced around the room and his heart stopped when he saw the open window, Jason Morgan was going to have his neck. "Shit..." he said quietly. As he flipped open his phone to call Milo and then his boss.

Monroe liked this sudden freedom she had, it felt great not to have anyone following her. What she didn't realize was that someone was following her. He made his way over the fence and followed her into Kelly's and now into the park. Monroe didn't think she was in any danger so she didn't think when she stopped in a dark corner to check her cell phone. She had a missed call and three unread texts from Michael. She didn't want to read them yet, so she put her phone away. As she was looking down at her purse again to put the phone in a side pocket, she felt a hand over her mouth quickly and a heavy object smack her head. They next thing she saw, was black.

* * *

"Hey, have you seen Monroe down there?" Max asked as he got Milo on the phone. He had already called Monroe three times and gotten no answer.

"Nah, I haven't seen much of anyone. I've been kind of watching the game through the window in the lobby." Milo said honestly, he knew he could tell his brother anything.

"She's gone." Max said simply.

"What do you mean she's gone? Did you just let her leave?" Milo asked.

"Of course not. I went inside the Penthouse to give her a pizza she had ordered. I walked in and after a minute or so noticed a frame and shattered glass on the floor. I went upstairs and her bedroom window was open, and she was nowhere to be found."

"That sounds like someone took her, Max, we've got to do something. Jason will kill us" Milo said, it did sound like he was in fear of his life.

"I know, I'm going to call him" Max said, although he really didn't want to.

"Wait a minute… you didn't hear the glass break on frame when it hit the floor? Weren't you standing outside the door?" Milo asked.

"I might have walked away a couple of feet because I was on the phone and I didn't want Monroe to hear anything."

"We're so dead" Milo said. Of course they would pick the one night something happens to slack off. They might as well consider themselves fired. Milo heard the phone call end so he went upstairs to meet Max.

* * *

"What?" Jason said annoyed as he answered the phone. He figured Max was calling about something stupid and he didn't want to be interrupted. He was having a great night with Sam.

"Hey Boss. I have some bad news." Max said nervously, and Jason could tell it was something serious.

"What is it?"

"Monroe is gone." Max said, the pit of his stomach filling with fear, he could barely breathe.

"WHAT?" Jason asked, throwing his napkin down and standing up, which made Sam really scared.

"I went in to the Penthouse to give her a pizza she had delivered. There was a shattered picture frame all over the floor and I went upstairs and her window was open. I don't know what happened. And she isn't answering the phone"

"We will be there" Jason said shortly, hanging up the phone. It was unlike Monroe to just leave. Or if she did leave, he knew she would answer the phone if someone that cared about her called.

"What is it Jason?" Sam said nervously, she hated the look she was seeing in Jason's eyes.

"It's Monroe. She's missing."


	19. just like you

I was just reading through my chapters and realized I made an oopsies… Brenda and Sonny are supposed to be getting married Dec18th in my fic, not Feb18th. Sorry it took me over a week to update. I'm so busy with school lately and I've definitely come down with some kind of cold so I've been sleeping whenever I'm not doing massive amounts of homework!

I don't own any of GH's characters!

* * *

Monroe started to stir when she felt sunlight covering her face. She thought it was unusual because in her bedroom at home she always covered the windows with her curtains before she went to bed. She didn't want to open her eyes though, because she had a pounding headache and her mouth was dry. She also felt sick to her stomach, which she thought was weird. She slowly opened her eyes and was so confused. She looked around her and saw nothing but a table, a chair, and the uncomfortable bed she was laying on. She bolted right up and realized a little too late that her hands were handcuffed together. She lost her balance and fell to the ground. She wanted to cry, she was cold, and surrounded by gray walls. She looked at the door that was across the room on the other wall and ran to it. Of course, it was locked, but she thought she had to try. She heard voices and footsteps coming closer to her and she hurried to sit back on the bed as two men came through the door.

"Well, it seems our little treasure has awoken." The younger of the two men said, coming closer to Monroe. She had held her breath for so long she thought she might pass out. When she finally did let out a breath she could smell is strong cologne covering up the smell of whiskey.

"What are you going to do to me?" Monroe asked, she was surprised out how emotionless she sounded.

"Oh, don't you worry that pretty little head of yours about any of that" he replied, going to run his hand along her cheek but she deflected it.

"What do you want with me?" She asked, it was similar to the previous question but she figured she had to keep trying in order to get something out of him.

"Revenge. The people you are living with put your parents in prison. A woman your boyfriend's father is marrying killed my best friend. They need to suffer. Just like Trenton and Melody are."

"If you are planning on killing me, you won't get away with it. Jason's good at his job." Monroe said, almost in a snarky matter. She was trying to be as intimidating as she could, considering she was nowhere near having the upper hand. "What is your connection to them?" Monroe asked.

"I used to work with them, because of Jason and Sam and Lucky and Dante… I lost my job. I lost everything. I was living on the streets until Jay gave me a place to stay." The man said, motioning to the man next to him, who Monroe assumed was Jay.

"How do you know so much information? Names were never leaked to the press." Monroe asked.

"I've been following you, your whole life. I know everything about you… Have you noticed lately that you haven't been able to sleep through the night?" The man asked, and Monroe got nervous because it was true.

"Yeah…" She replied, sheepishly.

"You and your boyfriend, Michael Corinthos, go to Kelly's every morning. I'm dating the new waitress there. She slips a little something into your drink and by the time you're ready to go to bed at night, it kicks in. After a few days of not sleeping for at least 5 consecutive hours, you start to become irritable, easily upset, jumpy, and nervous. Sound familiar?" He asked, smiling at her in a way that made her skin crawl. "We were able to kidnap you because you weren't thinking clearly. You were escaping out of your bedroom window and we were able to take you." The man said, shaking his head as if she were stupid.

"Why are you telling me all of this?" She asked.

"It doesn't matter if you know how we captured you. You're never going to be able to tell anyone about it" He said, laughing and the man next to him joined in.

"What's your name?" she asked, as she realized he was about to leave the room.

"Just call me D." He said, waving to her and he and Jay exited the room. Monroe was totally freaked out and didn't know to do.

* * *

Michael was beside himself after Monroe didn't come back when a full 24 hours had passed. He was blaming himself and getting mad at anyone that tried to tell him it wasn't because of him. He stayed at the Penthouse with Jason and Sam and most of the time refused to leave her room.

Jason and Sam were working around the clock to try and get a lead. They assumed whoever took Monroe was who attacked Brenda and there was somehow a connection.

"I just don't get it. Who would someone take my daughter? She's been through so much already." Sam said, running both hands through her hair. The case was of course, way too personal for her, it was even personal for Jason, but he couldn't convince her to just sit back and let Spinelli and him take care of everything.

"We're going to find her Sam." Jason said writing down facts on a piece of paper as Spinelli watched over his shoulder.

"It has to be someone close with Trenton and Melody, someone that would really be upset about them being put in jail" Sam said, and Jason agreed. That was his first thought when Monroe never came back.

"Spinelli… Find a list of all employees that worked for Trenton and Melody with a record" Jason ordered at Spinelli.

"Already on it, sir." Spinelli said, typing quickly into his lap top. It took awhile for him to get the names, most of the information on the Kennedy Suites database had been deleted, but Spinelli was able to recover it. After fifteen or so minutes, he had made a list of 4 different men. "Alright, there is a Sebastian Delio, born in NJ, arrested for burglary in 2003, a Leon Lander, born in NY, arrested in 2003 for drug possession, Donald Peligross, born in Carlton NY with several battery charges, and Mike Kavanaugh, born in NJ, arrested for burglary in 2001." Spinelli said quickly, luckily Sam and Jason were reading over his shoulder.

"Oh my god." Sam said, covering her mouth with her hand and shaking her head. "No…" She was whispering now and Michael flew down the steps.

"What? Why did you yell oh my god?" Michael said, standing close to Jason and Sam.

"Donald Peligross. That's Monroe's father. I don't know why I didn't make this connection sooner. It has to be him." Sam said, sitting on the couch. Her legs were shaking and Spinelli decided to look up as much information as he could on Donald Peligross.

"Are you sure it would be him?" Jason asked.

"Yes. I mean Alexander and Don were best friends when I was younger. And they were so much alike. After I got pregnant, Alexander offered to have his parents take Monroe for me because he was always cleaning up Don's messes, as well as his own. What if Don was working with Alexander, and his parents." Sam said, tears forming in her eyes.

"I think the police would have caught him if he was doing dirty business" Jason said, trying to reassure her, although he knew she knew better.

"Are you kidding me Jason? He could have easily slipped under the radar. He's dangerous Jason; we have to get her back as soon as possible." Sam said worried and standing up now. Hearing that this guy was dangerous only made Michael more upset, but he covered it up.

"Do you think he knows that Monroe is his daughter?" Jason asked.

"Yes. I'm positive he knows it." Sam said, sure of herself and Jason just nodded his head, turning to Spinelli and waiting for more information.

Michael had been so worried about Monroe he couldn't eat or sleep. It was killing him that he left her alone and she was taken. Jason tried to tell him over and over again that it was Max and Milo's fault if anyone at all, but Michael didn't want to hear it. He knew it was his job to protect her and he failed. She was taken by some sick freak's and who knows if they were feeding her or keeping her warm or making sure she was comfortable. He couldn't wait to get his hands on this Donald guy, he would kill him.

* * *

Monroe found it hard to sit alone in a locked room surrounded by the color gray. All she could think about was Michael, her mom, and Jason. How worried they must be and how it was her fault she got into this mess. If she hadn't left the Penthouse on her own this never would have happened. So far it had been three days they had locked her away and she hadn't eaten a single thing they had given her. Every time they handed her a plate of food, after they left she would throw it into the bathroom garbage can. It was part of her plan. She could tell that these men were idiots and if she made herself sick, they would have no other choice but to take her to a doctor. At least, this is what she hoped for. Monroe had come to the conclusion that the only reason D and Jay wanted her around was as leverage. If she was dead, she was no use to them. She overheard them talking that they were making plans to call "Morgan" and try and get money out of him. She assumed D and Jay were petty thieves before this grand scheme to kidnap her, and they didn't exactly know what they were doing.

Jay had hit her a few times for talking back, but D refused to lay a finger on her. She thought this was weird because D seemed to be in charge of everything, yet he just laughed at everything she said and dealt with it. Jay had a temper on him and if D wasn't around when she said something rude to him, he had no problem raising a hand to her.

"You don't look so good, princess" D said, as he walked into the room that afternoon. She hated the term of endearment he used with her, it made her sick to her stomach. The truth was though; she was feeling very, very sick. She had severe headaches and dizziness. She could barely stand up without tripping over herself. "What, no come back? I was expecting you to at least comment on my looks" He said, placing a glass of less than clear water and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in front of her.

"I think I need some advil or something…" Monroe said as she stood up, she went to take a few steps towards him and fell to the ground.

"Monroe!" D said. It was the last thing she heard before she hit the ground. "Jay, get in here!" D said, yelling.

"Ugh, what is it?" Jay said, walking nonchalantly into the room. His facial expressions not changing at all as he saw the teenager in front of him on the ground in Donald's arms. "What happened?" He asked, uninterested.

"I don't know, she said she needed advil and as she stood up she passed out. I think something is really wrong." D said. In the beginning of this plan, that involved kidnapping Monroe and taking her, he did eventually plan on killing her. But, after spending a few days with his own daughter, he was finding it harder and harder to deal with. This morning he decided he was just going to get as much money out of Jason and Sam as he could, and then give her back. He didn't think Alexander's death was this teenager's fault, and his two boss's being put in jail wasn't work an innocent girl's life.

"Well, what do you want me to do…bury her?" Jay asked and D wanted to strangle him.

"No, we have to get her to a hospital." D said and Jay rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, when did you turn into such a bitch?" Jay asked as D picked up Monroe and carried her to Jay's car.

* * *

"Are you positive this is a location of Donald's?" Jason asked Spinelli, pulling his gun out with Sam close behind him.

"The owner of these warehouses said she rented out this one to a man fitting Donald's description as well as another man, named Joseph." Spinelli said, reassuring Jason and Sam.

"Alright, you stay here and text me if you see anything… let's go Sam" Jason told Spinelli and Sam, who then pulled her gun out as they slowly made their way into the warehouse. There were two rooms upstairs they checked first. Each with a bed in them and what seemed mostly to be men's clothing. There were no signs of anyone living in either room so they made their way to the next room which happened to be a storage closet.

"Well, these two rooms are clear." Jason said, looking around for any hints, but found nothing.

"What about down there?" Sam asked as she pointed to an open door on the main level of the warehouse.

"Let's go" Jason said and they ran down the stairs. They made their way into the room and saw a bed, table with a plate and drink, and door connecting to a bathroom. They looked around the room and Sam noticed right away that there was a bracelet on the floor.

"Jason. This is Monroe's bracelet." Sam said, picking it up but stopping in her tracks when she saw a smear of blood on the floor. "Jason. Blood." Sam said, pointing at the ground, not being able to make a full sentence.

Jason walked over to where Sam was and picked her up off the floor so they were standing next to each other. "Shhh, shhh. Maybe they moved her and she put up a fight. She's okay, she is so strong, and you have to believe she is okay." Jason said, pulling Sam into a hug. "Come on, let's look for any clues we can and get the hell out of here. I'll have Trey stay here and watch the place" Jason said, Trey was someone knew they had hired to help with everything since Jason didn't trust Max or Milo at the moment.

"Okay" Sam said in agreement. They quickly looked around the warehouse and found nothing to lead them to a new location. Sam stayed in the room she assumed was Monroe's for a long while. Looking around for anything to hold on to. She looked at the dirty glass of water sitting on the table and couldn't help but cry. She went into the bathroom and noticed the garbage bin was filled with food. The first thing that crossed her mind was that Monroe wasn't eating, and this worried Sam even more. Not only was she kidnapped by two criminals, she had no food or water.

When they got back into the car, it was the first thing Sam told Jason as she started to hysterically cry. Jason was at a loss for words, he really didn't know how to comfort her.

"I know this really hard Sam, but please don't tell Michael that" Jason said and Sam understood. Michael would be a complete wreck if he knew she wasn't drinking or eating. Sam had tried to paint a picture for Michael that Donald wasn't all that terrible and maybe he would actually be nice to his own daughter. This put Michael at ease even though Sam really wasn't sure what Donald was capable of; she hadn't seen him since a few days before Monroe was born.

"I hope were not too late." Sam said through tears and Spinelli rested a hand on her shoulder.

"It's not Sam, your daughter is a fighter. Just like you" Spinelli said, putting Sam at ease, if only for a second.

* * *

REVIEW! :)


	20. feeling safe

Monroe awoke to a burning sensation in her left arm. On a happier note, she was feeling better than she had compared to the past few days, but started to get upset when she realized she was in a hospital. She looked around and noticed that nobody was in the room with her. She glanced down at her arm and saw that an IV was pumping fluids into her body. She couldn't think clearly yet, but she knew she had to figure out a way to get a hold of Sam and Jason. It was all she could think about for the next couple minutes. That's when she saw the little red button attached to a wire; she assumed it was a nurse call button. She pressed it, and a few moments later a short blonde haired woman walked into the room, all smiles.

"I see you are awake, Ana, that is great to see." The nurse said, going to her side to check the bag of fluids. "What did you need?" the nurse asked.

Monroe was confused as to why the doctor called her Ana, but she figured D and Jay wanted her in their under a different name, so she went along with it. "Where am I?" she decided to ask.

"You are at Strong Memorial Hospital, in Rochester NY" The nurse answered, a little upset that her patient was so disoriented.

"How far is that from General Hospital in Port Charles?"

"Oh, about fifteen minutes, not far at all." The nurse stated, writing a few things on her chart.

"Where are the two men that brought me in?" She asked, wanting to know if it was safe to have this nurse call Jason and Sam.

"Oh, they just left about ten minutes ago, said they were looking for better living arrangements for you and them." Monroe cringed at the thought of her having to go live with them somewhere else. Monroe assumed this nurse thought that one of those men was her father.

"Can you call someone for me?" Monroe asked.

"Sure, but you aren't allowed to have any visitors unless it is family. You have to go through at least one psych evaluation for your eating disorder before friends can visit" The nurse said and Monroe was completely flabbergasted. She had bruises all over her body, was malnourished, and brought in by two creepy men and they actually believed that all she had was an eating disorder. She was so mad, but she decided to ignore it for now. Knowing that if she flipped out, they would send her right to the psychiatrist.

"Well, that's okay. I wanna get a hold of my mom." Monroe said.

"Oh, we weren't aware that your mother was in the picture. Jake and Dan never mentioned her." The nurse said, and Monroe was again confused. More aliases', Monroe was getting really annoyed at how stupid the people in the hospital were. "Well if she is your mom, you can just call her. There is a phone right over here." The nurse said as she turned around and pointed to where the phone usually would be. "That's weird… there isn't a phone in this room. You know what. You can just use my cell phone. It could be hours before they get another phone set up in here." The nurse said, being polite, which Monroe was grateful for.

"Thank you so much, what room am I in?" Monroe asked.

"326" The nurse said, as she pulled out the phone and Monroe pressed the numbers quickly.

Monroe was relieved when after three rings, Sam picked up.

"Hello?" Sam said confused, the number that came up on the caller I.D. wasn't in her phonebook.

"Mom, it's me." Monroe said, tears forming in her eyes.

"MONROE?" Sam said, practically screaming through the line and Monroe couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah, I need you to hurry up and come here. I'm at the Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester NY. Bring Jason and Michael if you can. Room 326. Please Hurry." Monroe said.

"I will sweetie. We're running to the car right now. I love you"

"I love you too" Monroe said, hanging up the phone.

"Come on, we have to go." Sam said, hurrying down the stairs with Jason and Michael close behind. As soon as Sam yelled 'Monroe', Jason and Michael were standing beside her and rushing out the door like she was.

"Where is she?" Jason asked.

"Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester." Sam said and Michael immediately felt sick to his stomach. How did she end up in a hospital?

"Did she say anything about who took her?" Jason asked, worrying more about the facts.

"No, she just kept saying that we had to hurry." Sam said, she was so relieved to hear her daughter's voice and she felt like she was now on pure adrenaline. She had never ran down the Harborview Tower's stairs so fast before. They were in the car in a matter of seconds and on their way to Rochester.

"Did she sound okay?"

"Yeah, she sounded alright, tired, but she wasn't hysterical or anything" Sam said, and Michael and Jason were relieved.

The drive to the hospital seemed to take an eternity in Sam's eyes. In Michael's eyes as well. He couldn't wait to see his girlfriend and see that she was okay and apologize to her about the fight they had had. Sam just wanted to know her daughter was coming home with them. Those three days without Monroe after finding out that she was her daughter felt like a century. After being at the place where they assumed Monroe was being held and seeing all the food in the trashcan, Sam herself couldn't eat or sleep, agonizing over where her daughter was at what kind of danger she was in.

They pulled into a parking spot and hurried into the hospital. They didn't even bother checking in with front desk, considering Sam already knew what room Monroe was in. Sam, Jason, and Michael swiftly gathered into the elevator and up to the third floor. They made it to room 326 and burst into the room, for a second Sam thought she was dreaming when she saw Monroe laying there.

She looked sick, which made Sam really nervous. It had only been three days and she could see a change in Monroe's appearance. Her skin wasn't radiant; she wasn't smiling like she usually is, and her eyes look almost sunken in. She had a faded bruise on her face and visible ones on her arms, as well as red marks around her wrist where she must have had an allergic reaction to whatever they were restraining her hands with. Sam wanted to break down and start crying right there, but she had to be strong for Monroe.

"Mom…" Monroe said quietly and Sam rushed to her, surrounding her with a tight hug. Monroe returned the hug as best she could, but eventually broke down in tears, which caused the tears to cascade down Sam's face as well.

"I missed you so much, I was so worried. We never stopped looking for you. Not for a single second. Jason, Michael, Spinelli, and I… we knew we would find you" Sam said, the words just came pouring out of her mouth.

"I'm sorry I ran away, I didn't know this was going to happen, I should of never left without a guard" Monroe choked out, barely able to breathe she was crying so hard.

"Shh…shh, calm down. It's not your fault" Jason said, moving in closer and pushing stray hairs out of Monroe's eyes. Saying the words Sam couldn't get out of her mouth because she was too caught up in the moment.

Michael stood back a few feet, looking the scene in front of him. As soon as Monroe started crying hysterically, he couldn't help it when his eyes filled up with tears that threatened to spill over. When Sam pulled away and let Jason hug Monroe, she caught eyes with Michael who was staring at her and she gave him a weak smile. As she hugged Jason, she mouthed 'I love you' to Michael, which caused the tears in his eyes to come streaming down his face. As soon as Jason let Monroe go, Michael was at her side in an instant, pulling her close to him and burying his face in the crook of her neck. Monroe felt the tears start all over again as she was reconnected with Michael. As the three of them surrounded her, she felt immediately relieved.

"So what is the plan?" Monroe asked. "How am I getting out of here?"

"Well, I'm your mother. I am just going to tell them I want you transferred to General Hospital. Then they can send the bills to our house. You are not leaving my sight until you are back at the Penthouse and those sick bastards are taken care of" Sam was fuming when she was up close to Monroe and realized all the marks on her.

"Do you know what you are being treated for?" Jason asked.

"Dehydration and malnutrition, they think I'm anorexic and that I hurt myself or I'm possibly in an abusive relationship. They also think my dad brought me in, being a concerned parent." Monroe said, rolling her eyes in complete disgust. She had learned this after she had gotten off the phone with Sam and the nurse explained to her what a great dad she had, being so concerned about his little girl and making sure she got proper care.

"That is sick." Was all Sam could say. "We're getting you out of here, today. Jason can you go talk to her doctor and the head of the department" Sam asked, turning to Jason.

"Where is the man that brought you here?" Jason asked, not sure if he wanted to leave the room in case he decided to show up.

"They told the nurse that they were going to find better living accommodations for me" Monroe explained and Sam wanted to punch a wall. She couldn't believe these two men that had her were dumb enough to keep going with this and take her again once she was cleared at the hospital.

"I'll be right back" Jason said. He was going to scan the halls and speak with a doctor in charge about moving Monroe to General Hospital.

Sam tried to get some answers out of Monroe as to what the men wanted from her, but she was uncomfortable talking about the ordeal in front of Michael. She could see how upset and angry he was getting when she started to explain a few things that happened to her until eventually she just stopped talking about it, saying she was really tired and not up to talking. A few minutes later Jason came back in with a smile on his face.

"Alright... we can take you home." Jason said.

"Just like that?" Monroe said, sitting up further in the hospital bed.

"Yes. They have already given you two bags of fluids so they said you are rehydrated. You can only eat food like soup or ice cream for the next few days until your body gets used to it and then you can go back to a regular diet. The doctor requests you see a doctor at General Hospital for your "anorexia" and "abuse problems", but health wise you are okay to be at home." Jason explained, "He's going to be in, in a few minutes to explain all that to you and have you sign release forms" Jason told Sam and Sam nodded.

"They threw away the clothes I was wearing when I got here; all they left were my shoes." Monroe said, staring down at the shoes next to the bed.

"I have a pair of jeans in the car; can you grab them and just buy a sweatshirt for her from the gift shop?" Sam asked Michael, who nodded and Jason gave him the keys and cash. He exchanged another glance at Monroe and she knew he was saying I love you just by the look in his eyes as he hurried out the door to get what she needed.

When Michael came back in the room, Monroe had decided to take a quick shower and brush her teeth with what the hospital had given her. She was waiting in the bathroom for Sam to hand her the jeans and hoodie and started to burst out in laughter when she saw what the hoodie said.

"Proud Grandma to a beautiful baby delivered at Strong Memorial Hospital of Rochester, NY….really Michael? This is all they had?" She said between fits of laughter as she threw the hoodie on over her head.

"Unless you wanted to be a proud grandpa" Michael said back, which caused Monroe to let out a girlish chuckle.

"Oh god…" She said quietly to herself as she shook her head with a smile and ran her fingers through her hair and walked out of the bathroom and slipped on her shoes. "I am so ready to go home" Monroe said, snaking her arm around Michael's waist and hugging him. In return he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead, staying like that for awhile.

"Alright, let's get out of this hellhole" Jason said and Sam and Michael smiled, knowing how much he hated hospitals. He had already talked to the staff and told them not to give anyone any information regarding Monroe and this was a direct order from her mother. He told the doctor and nurse working with Monroe to tell Donald that her mother was taking care of everything from here on out and that Donald was considered dangerous. The doctor assured Jason that all he would be able to give Jason was a phone number and not any personal information. Jason hoped that would give Donald enough reason to leave Monroe alone until Jason was able to find him himself.


	21. home is where my heart is

I'm not getting very many reviews lately :( but that's okay I'm still gonna wrap up this stories... theres about 5 or 6 chapters left. Thank you to those who review this, it means a lot to me!

* * *

When the four of them got into the car outside of the hospital, Monroe realized that Jay and D had never come back. "Did you see Jay and D outside at all?" Monroe asked Jason.

"Who?" Jason asked.

"Those were the two men that took me. Someone named Jay and some guy that told me to call him D." Monroe explained to Jason.

"Oh, no. They didn't come back while we were there. I'll take care of that, don't worry about them" Jason said, calming Monroe's fears. He wasn't sure if Sam was going to tell Monroe that one of the men that took her was her biological father.

When they got back to the Penthouse, the first thing Monroe did was go upstairs to change into normal clothes. She felt so much better now that she was home. The doctor had told her to take it easy so it took her longer than usual to make her way up and back down the stairs again. Sam was sticking to her words when she said she wasn't letting Monroe out of her sight until the people that had taken her were out of the picture. When she went upstairs to change, Sam went upstairs into her own bedroom and waited until Monroe was done getting changed to follow her back down the stairs again.

When Monroe sat on the couch, she had Michael on one side and Sam on the other side. She took advantage of the extra attention and laid her head into Sam's lap, with her feet rested across Michael's legs.

"So, why don't you start from the beginning and tell us as much as you can about what happened…while it's still fresh in your mind." Sam said, playing with Monroe's hair.

"Well, after Michael and I got into a fight. I stupidly decided I wanted to be completely by myself. I snuck out of the window and down the fire escape. I went to hop the fence and I no sooner got over it when I felt something hit me over the head and then everything when black. I woke up in this locked room with only a bed, chair, table and small bathroom. My hands were handcuffed together. A couple minutes later, D and Jay came in. D was actually pretty nice to me the whole time, but Jay wasn't. For some reason D told me all about how he was able to kidnap me. D said the new waitress at Kelly's was his girlfriend and he convinced her to slip things into my drinks in the morning that would make me not able to sleep at night."

"Why would he do that?" Sam asked, more thinking out loud then expecting an answer.

"He said it was to make me moody and irrational, mostly because he wanted me not to be thinking clearly. He said that since I was on edge I would do something stupid like try and get away from the guards or want to be alone and then they would be able to get to me." She explained, thinking back to when D told her why he was drugging her.

"So for the next few days I refused to eat or drink anything, it made me sick. Yesterday afternoon I went to stand up and I'm assuming I passed out. That's when they took me to the hospital." She explained, she didn't remember anything that happened after that, until she woke up and called Sam.

"Did they say why they were taking you?" Jason asked.

"Well at first I heard D say it was revenge for us putting my parents in jail, since it caused him to lose his job. He was also mad at Brenda for killing Alexander, but I was an easier target so they took me instead to get back at you two. They said they had been stalking me. Jay was thinking that since I was kidnapped, you guys would be so focused on me that they would easily be able to take Brenda. But two days ago I overheard D mention to Jay that he didn't want to kill me anymore and he didn't care about getting Brenda; he just wanted money out of you guys and then he would give me back." She hated talking about herself like she was an inanimate object that could just be traded for money. Sam was disgusted that Donald would act like this, even if he did rape her, she thought he would at least have some common decency towards his own daughter.

"Listen, Monroe, there is something you should know. It might upset you. But I think you have a right to know" Sam said to Monroe.

"What is it?" Monroe asked, now sitting up and turning her body to face Sam.

"D… his real name is Donald. He's your biological father. He raped me, and was best friends with Alexander. Alexander is the one who came to me and told me his parents would adopt you. He always was getting Donald out of sticky situations" Sam explained. Monroe had never really asked who her biological father was, she was just so happy to know Sam was her mother and she assumed that Jason would fill in for the father part. Which he had, in every way he could. Michael waited for a reaction from Monroe, but she didn't really have one, which came as a surprise to Jason, Michael, and Sam.

"Well, that's good to know. These bruises aren't from him though, if you were wondering. There from Jay, he would hit me if I got mouthy" Monroe said, knowing she would eventually have to tell them how she got those bruises.

"I'll kill him. I'll kill them both." Michael said, standing up, which caused Monroe to stand up as well.

"You will not, stop talking like that." Monroe said, tensing up when the coldness in his eyes didn't fade.

"He hit you, Monroe. He has to pay" He said, looking over at Jason.

"Jason will take care of this, Monroe doesn't need you getting hurt or in any trouble. She needs you here." Sam said, and that seemed to bring Michael to his senses.

"I'm sorry Monroe… that just really pisses me off." Michael said and Monroe nodded her head.

"I need to go talk to this woman at Kelly's, see if she can give me any leads on where to find Jay and Donald" Jason explained, picking up his leather coat and throwing it on. Usually, Sam would be right behind him wanting to go and figure all this out with him, but right now she just wanted to be with Monroe.

"Okay, call me later… are you taking anyone with you?" Sam asked, and Jason simply shook his head 'yes' and walked out the door. Once Jason left, she asked Monroe if she wanted soup or anything and Monroe said she did so she went into the kitchen to make it.

"So what has been going on, I don't really wanna talk about me anymore" Monroe said, moving closer to Michael as they both sat down on the couch.

"Well. Dante and Lulu broke up for good, my dad and Brenda are really getting married next week, and Kristina and Taylor are on the verge of breaking up."

"What! I have to call her!" Monroe said, ignoring all other things.

"I think she can wait to hear the words of wisdom from her niece until tomorrow." Michael said, teasing her.

"Fine…do you have any idea why?" She asked, throwing herself into the latest drama, it eased her mind from what had happened. It was easier to deal with other people's problems then her own; she had learned that at a young age.

"They don't ever have time to be together because they both are so focused on school work and all the clubs and planning for college so they end up arguing, and I think Kristina may have feelings for Ethan still." Michael said, explaining what he saw as an innocent bystander.

"But….Ethan is like married" Monroe said, sighing deeply. Only Kristina would push away a perfectly good guy for a married man.

"Yeah, I know and so does my sister" Michael said, shaking his head, not at all wanting to get into the dramatic lives of the people in Port Charles and just wanting to cuddle up next to the girl he had missed so much for the past four days. After sitting together for another couple minutes in comfortable silence, Sam came out with soup for Monroe.

"Here you go…I'm going to go upstairs and shower. Do you need anything else?" Sam asked and Monroe shook her head no. Sam kissed her forehead quickly and made her way up the penthouse stairs.

"I really missed you Monroe, there wasn't a second I didn't think about you." Michael said when they were happily alone.

"I missed you too, I thought about you all the time. I swear thinking about seeing you and my mom and Jason again is what kept me going." She said in complete honesty.

"You are the strongest person I have ever met." Michael said, kissing her on the lips time for the first time in what felt like entirely too long. "I'm so sorry I left you alone after our fight, it was a mistake" Michael said after pulling away from their kiss.

"Don't blame yourself Michael, I was being drugged, that is what started the fight in the first place, me being so on edge. There is no way you could've known I was going to sneak out my bedroom window, let alone get kidnapped by two freaks" she said, she spent the entire time she was away blaming herself for getting kidnapped but now she knew it wasn't her fault. Two sick men were following her and nobody knew it. A normal teenager would be allowed to go out at night by themselves, and she couldn't blame herself for wanting to get away. It was Donald's and Jay's fault anything happened to her.

Michael just nodded his head, pulling her into a hug and not wanting to let go of her. Being away from her and worrying about her for those four days had only intensified his feelings for her. He knew after spending a few days with her that she really was an amazing person, but now he realized just how much he never wanted to be without her. When she pulled away from their hug and kissed him on the cheek, she then got comfortable on the couch and picked up her bowl of soup.

"So after all the drama we've been dealing with for the past few months between my parents being put in jail, you telling everyone what happened to you, seeing my ex again, and me being kidnapped I realized something. I just want to have fun. I want to focus on school and parties and getting ready for college, the art class I teach, getting Jason to propose to my mom…normal teenage stuff." Michael smiled at her as she said the last thing and she couldn't help but smile. She couldn't wait to focus on things like that.

"Sounds good to me, when do we start?" Michael said, draping his arm over her shoulder.

"Starting now." Monroe said. "Wait, so the wedding is still on?" Monroe asked.

"Yup. The wedding is still happening; Brenda and my dad are still totally in love with each other…even after the Thanksgiving confession." Michael said.

"Well that's good. I wonder if Brenda needs help." Monroe said, she knew there was no better way to get her mind off of what happened to her then planning something as happy as a wedding.

"I'm sure she does. She has been having Kristina and Molly help to help them get their mind off of being worried about you, so I'm sure they will be really happy to know you're back and they will want to spend time with you." Michael said, and Monroe was happy to know that.

"I really should call Kristina and let her know I'm okay." Monroe thought out loud, Kristina and herself had become really close since now they knew they were more than best friends, they were family. Michael nodded his head and Monroe went to stand up.

"Where are you going?" Michael asked, standing up right after she did.

"To get my phone, I'm assuming its upstairs somewhere" Monroe explained.

"You stay right here. I'll go get it" Michael said, rushing up the steps before Monroe had a chance to oppose. She couldn't help but laugh at how unconditionally caring and sweet he was. He brought down her phone for her and she called Kristina. Kristina was ecstatic to hear from her and they were making plans to see each other the next day.

* * *

Later that night, Monroe realized how tired she was from the past few days so her and Michael went upstairs. When Jason got back later that night, he told Sam that he and a few of the guards were paying Jay and Donald a surprise visit the next day. Sam was relieved that Jason knew where to find them at least. Sam was going almost going overboard with security as she asked Jason to place as many guards around Harborview Towers as possible until everything was taken care of. After going into Monroe's room and making sure her windows were locked, she decided she could finally get some sleep.

Michael refused to leave Monroe alone by herself that night even though she said she would be okay. It was a good thing though, because Monroe wasn't sure she was actually brave enough to sleep alone that night. She felt safe in Michael's arms and she knew that was exactly where she belonged.


	22. getting back to normal

No Michael in this chapter… sorry. But plenty of Jasam and MiMo in the next one

* * *

"Who the hell are you?" Jay asked, almost nervously, as he noticed two men walking into the abandoned warehouse him and Donald were currently occupying. The realization hit him when he saw Jason walk in close behind. Donald jumped to his feet when he saw Jason.

"That's no way to talk to me" Kyle, one of Jason and Sonny's men said as he got into closer vicinity of Donald and Jay, who were reaching for their guns.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you" Jason said in a serious tone as Jason, Kyle, and another assistant, Mark all pulled their guns first. This caused Jay and Donald to back off.

"How did you find us?" Donald asked.

"Your girlfriend at Kelly's… she just doesn't shut up when you offer her money and tell her to leave town or you'll kill her" Kyle explained, with a smirk on his face.

"That bitch…" Jay said quietly, cursing at Donald for having such an easy girlfriend.

"Shut up" Donald said, realizing he should be putting more effort into saving his life but he thought it made him look better by yelling at Jay.

"I want to know something, before this is over. Do I need to worry about anyone else coming after Sam, Brenda, or Monroe?"

"Why should we help you?" Jay asked in a smug tone.

"Simple…" Jason said, pulling his gun out and shooting him swiftly in the leg. "Your death can be fast or slow. It's up to you." He explained, as Jay fell to the ground, covering the open wound with his hand.

"You bastard." Jay accused, his leg throbbing in pain.

"Shut up. Is there anyone else?" Jason asked, now moving in closer to Donald. Just thinking about what he did to Sam years ago and Monroe just a few short days ago were making him more and more angry. He knew he would have to get out of there soon, before he lost his cool.

"No, I swear there isn't. I don't want Monroe to get hurt. I'm the only one in the business that had a good relationship with Trenton, Melody, and Alexander. " Donald explained.

"Good, we agree on one thing. I don't want Monroe to get hurt either" Jason said, as he turned to walk out. "Finish em'" Jason ordered Kyle and Mark. Kyle and Mark moved in closer to the two pathetic men in front of them.

"You can't….you can't kill me. I'm Monroe's father" Donald pleaded, as if it made any difference.

"You raped her mother, drugged Monroe, and kidnapped her. Do you really think she wants you as a father?" Jason said, turning around, looking like he was about to jump Donald. To Jason's accusations Donald had no response. "I'm her father now and I can be ten times better than you and Trenton, and I work for Sonny Corinthos. That doesn't say much for you." Jason said, almost smirking. He was completely detached as he nodded to Kyle and Mark to finish the job and then he walked out.

The ride home for Jason was one lost in thought. After he knew Donald and Jay were dead, all he could think about was that Donald was Monroe's father, whether he was a horrible person or not. Jason remembered Monroe mentioning that Donald was nicer to her than Jay and that he never hurt her, almost as if she was defending him.

When he got home later that night, and Monroe asked what happened to them, Sam and Jason explained to her what Jason did for a living. She had asked many questions to Michael, but he didn't want to answer them, he said it was more Jason's place to tell. After they explained to her what his life was like and even what Sam's life was like aside from being a P.I., Monroe figured out what happened to Jay and Donald.

"Did you do it by yourself?" Monroe asked Jason, looking him straight in the eye.

"No, I had two men with me. I just found them and then made them talk. Kyle and Mark took care of the rest…but it doesn't always happen that way." Jason explained, almost afraid of what Monroe was going to say next.

"I'm glad" Monroe stated simply and Sam and Jason both gave her a questioning look. "I'm glad their…gone and nobody has to worry about them anymore. Who knows what else they were capable of? I feel safe now, here at the penthouse, with my parents." Monroe explained, putting an emphasis on parents. Jason was so relieved that she had said that, it was all he needed to hear.

"I'm happy too." Sam said, standing up and hugging Monroe.

* * *

It was now two days before the "event" as Spinelli liked to call it. He was more than displeased that Sonny and Brenda were tying the knot and refused to call it a marriage.

"What are you doing today, sweetie?" Sam asked as she walked into the living room where Monroe was sitting cross legged on the couch. Christmas break had started for Madison Prep, so Monroe and Sam had spent a few days together having mother-daughter time.

"I'm going with Kristina and Molly over Sonny's to help Brenda and Robin with wedding stuff." Monroe explained. Usually she wouldn't be so thrilled to be spending the whole day with Brenda, but she was in high spirits about getting to be with her Aunts, who she had only seen for a brief amount of time since she got home, because she was spending most of her time with her mom and Michael.

"Sounds like a good time… I should probably get a dress for that. Shouldn't I? Eh, I'll just wear something from in my closet" Sam said, mostly talking to herself but making a decision out loud.

"You can borrow something of mine if you want." Monroe offered and Sam smiled, taking the proposal into consideration.

Monroe noticed that it was getting close to lunch time so she decided to head over to Sonny and Brenda's new house, she promised Kristina and Molly she would be there to spend the entire day with them. Kristina insisted they were in desperate need of girl time and Monroe couldn't help but agree.

Michael and she had resolved some issues they were having and were now a lot happier as a couple. Apparently the four days that Monroe was gone and the two days since she had been back Michael spoke to his therapist every day. His doctor told him he still had a long road ahead of him, but he was improving. He was more open about the abuse and he didn't blame himself anymore, Monroe couldn't be happier or prouder of her boyfriend, he was one of the strongest people she knew.

She walked up to the house and went to knock on the door but Molly already had it opened wide for her as Monroe raised her fist to the door.

"Hi Monroe!" Molly said excitedly as she hugged Monroe tightly. "I'm so happy you're here" she then offered. Monroe simply smiled as she hugged Molly back; it felt so nice to have some normalcy in her life right now.

"So what are we doing?" Monroe asked as she went to sit on the floor with Kristina, Brenda, and Robin.

"Well Robin and I just got done making the centerpieces and now we all are going to start making the favors and the ribbon ties for the bubbles that everyone is going to blow at Sonny and I when we walk out of the church." Brenda explained to Monroe, with her famous squeal. She could tell how thrilled Brenda was and she felt bad for ever being sour towards Brenda. She was obviously prepping for the happiest day of her life.

"What are the centerpieces like?" Monroe asked, trying to be as interested in the wedding prep as possible.

"Oh, they are so cute, I'll go get one." Brenda said as she got up quickly and disappeared from the room. A few seconds later she emerged with a cappuccino brown flower box with baby pink ribbon wrapped around the bottom. "See, and Robin or someone is going to put them on each table and the florist is going to come in the morning and fill them with the flowers I asked for. Aren't they so pretty?" Brenda asked and Monroe shook her head 'yes' with a smile on her face. They really were pretty. Brenda left the room with the centerpiece and came back with small plain white cards, unfolded small pink and cappuccino colored boxes, ribbon, sachets, candy, and bubbles.

"Okay, so these rose scented sachets are going to have the bubbles in them and then we are going to tie these cards to them. Then we have to fold up these boxes and put these cards and candy inside of them?" Robin asked, making sure she had every detail correct.

"Yes…exactly." Brenda stated. Monroe was convinced that Brenda's smile was permanently glued to her face.

"What do the cards say?" Molly asked, looking at Brenda.

"Well the card to go with the bubbles say 'fairy tales do come true' 'Sonny and Brenda' '12-18-10, and the card to go with the favor box and candy is just information about a charity I'd like all my guests to donate to. Everyone invited knows that we don't want gifts, I just want them to donate if they can" Brenda explained and they all thought it was really generous of her.

"So romantic…I love, love" Molly said, in her hopeful tone that she always spoke in when she was talking about love, romance, and the books she reads.

After letting Molly go on about love for a few more minutes they all decided it was time to start working on these favors. With all five of them and a small invite list, they were able to get through the work in no time. Robin had to go back to work and Alexis picked up Molly for a dentist appointment, so it just left Brenda, Kristina, and Monroe alone for awhile.

"So, are you okay? I didn't want to ask you in front of Molly" Brenda asked, she had been so busy with wedding planning; she didn't really get a chance to talk to anyone about what happened to Monroe.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Glad that I was able to get away and get home" Monroe said.

"You got away from them?" Brenda asked.

"Yeah, I didn't eat or drink and got sick and they took me to the hospital. They left me alone and I asked the nurse if I could use her phone and I called Sam. They came and got me." Monroe explained.

"Wow, you are so brave. Do you know who took you?"

"My biological father and his friend."

"What? No way …where are they now?" Brenda asked.

"Jason took care of it." Monroe said, and that's all she would say about it, and luckily Brenda or Kristina didn't ask any more questions.

The three of them sat and talked for a little while longer, mainly about the wedding, until Brenda said she had an appointment with her wedding planner for a couple more last minute things. She invited Kristina and Monroe to join her but Monroe told Kristina she really wanted to go get Christmas gifts and Kristina thought that was a great idea.

They had walked through a dozen stores and Monroe thought she was finally done shopping. They had to go back to the car and put their bags away twice already, and now they were just walking around the mall aimlessly.

"So, Michael tells me you and Taylor aren't really together anymore." Monroe stated, but it also was kind of a question.

"No, not really. We get into little arguments and it annoys me, I don't really see myself being with him forever."

"We're in high school. We shouldn't see anyone were with and think about them as a forever person." Monroe said, rolling her eyes at her aunt.

"Are you kidding me? You don't see yourself being with Michael forever?" Kristina asked and Monroe blushed slightly.

"That's different. We saved each other in a way, we have something special." Monroe tried to explain.

"Well that's how I feel about Ethan. He made me see that good guys are out there and he treats me so nice. I really like him and I think he likes me too. I even accused him of raping me because I was so scared to tell the truth and he forgave me and understood. I just feel like he is who I should be with" Kristina confided in Monroe.

"Well you are going to have to wait a year. He's married." Monroe said.

"It's a fake marriage, I think they should just get a divorce" Kristina said, crossing her arms.

"Maybe…" was all Monroe could say as a response, she really didn't know what to say about it. She didn't want to hurt Kristina's feelings and she did like Ethan as a person so maybe it would work out.

They went their separate ways after that and Monroe got home around 8pm. She went up to her room and got out all the things she had bought, preparing to spend the rest of the night wrapping presents. She luckily had been able to sneak away while Kristina was making a phone call and buy Kristina a present as well so she had every one done. She sat down on the floor and pulled out the wrapping paper, tape, and tags she bought. Finally feeling in the Christmas spirit, she also realized that everything that happened that day was exactly what she told Michael she had been hoping for. Fun, normal, teenage stuff.


	23. in his arms

Sorry this took me so long! I've got a lot going on lately! Lol. Oh and in my story, Jax and Carly are still together. I know a few people have been asking for another "romantic night" between Michael and Monroe but I totally suck at writing them :) but i hope the last chapter meets your expectations ... oh and just thought id add... when every I go to write Sonny and Brenda I almost always accidentally write Sonny and Cher. LMAO. :) Thanks for reading this ! and sorry again for the wait! Read and review :)

Monroe woke up that morning actually excited about Brenda and Sonny's wedding. She liked weddings, she felt a little bit like Molly in that way, in love with the idea of love. Ever since she had been back home everything made her happy. She loved spending time with Michael, she loved seeing her parents be affectionate towards each other, and she loved gossiping with Kristina and Molly. All these things she did every day before and took for granted, now she loved that she was surrounded by such normalcy. The wedding wasn't until later in the evening and she was sure she wasn't going to get to see Michael beforehand. He was busy keeping his dad calm and collected. Monroe and Michael both knew that Sonny wanted this more than anything, and it actually made him nervous. It was kind of cute, in a way.

Later in the afternoon, Monroe was surprised to see on her called I.D. was Michael calling.

"Hello?" Monroe answered, happy to hear from him.

"Hey…" Michael said, it was good to hear her voice, and she sounded like she was in a great mood.

"So what are you up to?" Monroe asked.

"Nothing really… I'm just hanging out with my dad and Morgan. Is Jason coming here soon?" Michael asked. Morgan, Michael, Sonny, and Jason were all going in a limo to the wedding together.

"Yeah, I think so. He's in the shower now."

"Oh okay. So are you ready for this?"

"You sound like I'm the one getting married."

"No, but I'm sure something interesting is going to happen. It is my dad, Brenda, Dante, my mom, and Jax all under the same roof."

"I'm sure it will be perfectly fine. Your dad isn't going to let anyone ruin Brenda's big day."

"Yes. That's true. Well I'm going to go. I just wanted to hear your voice for a minute. I'll see you in a few hours, baby." Michael said reluctantly.

"Alright, I need to go get ready anyways. Thanks for calling. I love you" she said.

"I love you too" Michael said, smiling as he hung up the phone.

Monroe put her cell phone down with a silly grin on her face. How had she found a guy perfect enough to call her just because he wanted to hear her voice? She really couldn't believe how much the good outweighed the bad sometimes.

She went upstairs after Jason left and decided she should probably start getting ready. She looked through her closet and pulled out a short black dress that had a bow in the back. She knew it wasn't the best idea to wear black to a wedding but she figured since it was an evening wedding she could get away with it. She curled her hair quickly and put it into a side ponytail that reached under her breast. She hadn't realized how long her hair was getting.

After applying light make up, she threw on her shoes and jewelry and walked out of her bedroom at the exact same time Sam was walking out of hers.

"Well this is weird." Sam said, laughing as she pointed to each other's. They both were wearing black dresses, although Sam's was a little longer and she paired it with silver heels and accents instead of black heels. They both had their hair in a side ponytail and were now laughing hysterically at each other at the fact that they even had the same evening bag.

"I can fix this." Monroe said, laughing as she pulled her out of the side ponytail and let it fall in place. She also took her phone out of her evening bag and handed it to Sam. "Okay, you put my phone in your bag and I won't bring one" Monroe explained. "Now we look at least a little different." Monroe said laughing. She couldn't wait to see the looks Jason, Sam, and herself got when they sat near each other, all in black like a little mob family.

"Okay. Are you ready to head over to the church? It start's in a half hour"

"Sure." Monroe replied as they headed down the stairs together.

* * *

Monroe was hoping they would make it to the wedding with enough time for her to have a minute with Michael before the ceremony started, but she didn't. She took a seat next to Spinelli and sat in between him and Sam. She looked up and saw Michael staring back at her, she gave him a small wave and a smile and he smiled back at her.

The music started and everyone looked to the back of the church. First to come out was Molly, and then Kristina, then Robin, and then finally everyone stood as Brenda walked down the aisle, escorted by Jason. Monroe felt a little pang of jealousy, realizing that Jason would be the one to walk her down the aisle but she wouldn't be the first girl he has escorted. She felt dumb for getting jealous over something so miniscule and pushed the thought aside as Jason and Brenda reached the front of the church, standing before the minister and Sonny.

"Everyone please be seated" The minister said and everyone did as they were asked. "Who supports this couple in their marriage?" the minister then asked.

"I do" Jason said as he pulled the vow over Brenda's head, kissing her on the cheek and placing her hands into Sonny's as he walked over to stand in front of Michael.

"We are gathered here today in the presence of these witnesses, to join Michael Sonny Corinthos Jr. and Brenda Veronica Barrett in matrimony, which is commended to be honorable among all men; and therefore – is not by any – to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly – but reverently, discreetly, advisedly and solemnly. Into this holy estate these two persons present now come to be joined. If any person can show just cause why they may not be joined together – let them speak now or forever hold their peace."

Monroe was shocked when she saw the man next to her start to stand up. "Spinelli!" she harshly whispered harshly, pulling him back down next to her.

"Glamour Princess, I must say something. I must" Spinelli said, feeling rather dignified.

"No, you can't. Do you want to ruin the happiest day of Brenda's life?" she whispered back at him, hoping that not every single person in the church was starting.

"No…" he said bashfully, sitting back calmly in his seat.

"Okay. Thank You." The minister said, staring at Spinelli for an odd amount of time. "We will now have an opening reading by Monroe Kennedy" The minister stated. Brenda had asked Monroe to share a poem or exert from something at the wedding because the only people not in the wedding she didn't exactly trust to be tasteful. Monroe didn't even tell anyone she had agreed to it, but Michael was pleased to hear his girlfriend's name being called. It made him feel like they were fitting her into the family and that is what he wanted for her.

Monroe made her way up to microphone, when she didn't pull out a piece of paper they assumed she was speaking from memory.

"Okay, I picked a quote by Louis de Bernieres' to share with everyone because I really love it and I think it describes the deep relationship Sonny and Brenda have…Love is a temporary madness, it erupts like volcanoes and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any fool can do. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Those that truly love have roots that grow towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossom have fallen from their branches, they find that they are one tree and not two. Sonny and Brenda, I truly believe you have something more than physical attraction, and something much deeper than being in love. Especially after knowing you two found your way back to each other after all these years." Monroe said this simply and everyone smiled at it as she walked down and back to her seat. She saw Brenda mouthing Thank You to her for keeping it classy and she couldn't help but giggle. Michael was amazed out how perfect it was as a choice, and it was totally Monroe's style.

The rest of the ceremony went off rather smoothly, after Spinelli's one mistake of almost ruining the night; he kept quiet for the rest of the time.

Thankfully the ceremony was almost over though, because Monroe was getting tired of sitting still for so long. Sam couldn't help but smile at her daughter as she noticed her crossing her legs from left to right every few minutes. She reminded Sam of herself so much it was scary sometimes

"By the power vested in me by the State of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife… You may now kiss your bride" The minister said, and Sonny smiled, pulling his brand new bride into a passionate kiss. Everyone clapped and cheered as they stood up and all the bridal party walked down the aisle following Sonny and Brenda.

* * *

Monroe couldn't help but be happy that the wedding ceremony was over, the reception was the fun part and where she got to sit with Michael. She was happy that only the bride and groom and a certain table at the reception and the bridal party could sit where ever they wanted. Monroe followed Sam and Jason to sit with them, and there was an empty chair for Michael. Monroe knew he would have to float between where his mother was sitting, where Dante was sitting, at sitting with her. Monroe was surprised when he chose to sit with them first.

"You look beautiful" Michael whispered, moving in close to her ear and then pulling away to stare at her once more. She was amazed at how easily he could give her goose bumps.

"You look pretty handsome yourself" Monroe said playfully, giving him a smile. They sat hand in hand for awhile, awaiting Sonny and Brenda to share their first dance.

"Okay, ladies and gentleman… the moment you've all been waiting for. Sonny and Brenda will now share their first dance as Mr. & Mrs. Corinthos. The song will be No Place That Far, by Sara Evans. As a special surprise, Brook Lynn wants to sing it for them." The DJ announced as Brook Lynn stood up to take the microphone and Sonny and Brenda took their place on the dance floor.

_I can't imagine, any greater fear  
Then waken up, without you near  
And though the sun, will still shine on  
My whole world, would all be gone  
But not for long_

_If I had to run  
If I had to crawl  
If I had to swim a hundred rivers  
Just to climb a thousand walls  
Always know that I would find a way  
To get to where you are  
There's no place that far_

"Okay, bridal party. Grab your dates and get on the floor" The DJ announced. Monroe looked at Michael who was asking with eyes if she would like to dance. She nodded her head and he led her out onto the floor. Jason and Sam had a similar interaction as they followed close behind Monroe and Michael.

_It wouldn't matter, why we're apart  
the lonely miles, two stubborn hearts  
and nothing short, of God above  
could turn me away, from your love  
I need you that much_

Monroe rested her head on Michael's shoulder as they slow danced to the beautiful song. She loved him so much and listening to the lyrics of the song almost made her want to tear up. She felt like anything bad that happened to her in her life didn't matter now just because she had him. Little did she know, he was thinking almost the exact thing.

_Oh if I had to run  
(if I had to run)  
Of I had to crawl  
(If I had to crawl)  
If I had to swim a hundred rivers  
Just to climb a thousand walls  
Always know that I would find a way  
To get to where you are  
There's no place that far  
Baby there's no place that far_

Everyone out on the dance floor went back to their seats and Brook Lynn found her way back to her date Nikolas, after Sonny and Brenda thanked her for singing to them. Shortly after sitting together, dinner was served and Michael suggested that he should probably go sit with his Mom, Morgan, and Jax for a little bit and Monroe nodded, understanding completely.

"So, are you going to get up when they toss the bouquet?" Sam asked her daughter jokingly.

"Maybe, are you? I mean you are technically single" Monroe said laughing, putting the word technically in air quotes.

"Oh, I think I am. The woman who catches the bouquet is the next to get married? Right?" Sam said, nudging Jason's arm which made him smile at her.

"I believe that's how it goes." Monroe said, staring at Jason. She was almost positive Jason was going to pop the question any day now.

After dinner was finished and a few more songs were played, Robin insisted it was time for Brenda to toss the bouquet.

"Alright, Alright. Come on ladies" Brenda said, motioning for the girls to come out onto the dance floor.

"All you single ladies get out on the floor, the bride is ready to toss the bouquet" The DJ said over the microphone as Robin, Brook Lynn, Monroe, Kristina, Molly, Sam, and even Lulu got out onto the floor. Brenda turned her back to the small group of girls and threw the bouquet over her shoulder with a squeal. At the same time, Sam and Monroe both caught the bouquet but at the last second Monroe let it go so that only Sam was holding it and she backed away laughing. Michael was relieved he didn't have to get up and fight for the garter. There was no way he was letting anyone else put that on Monroe's leg if she caught the bouquet.

"You had it first…" Sam tried to argue with Monroe but Monroe crossed her shoulders and shook her head.

"Nope…it's all yours." Monroe said, walking over to where Michael was standing.

"Okay, now all the single men out on to the floor" The DJ asked as Sonny and the men made their way out to the floor. Monroe stared at Michael when he didn't move.

"I am not going out there; Sam is basically related to me. That's gross. The only way I was going out there is if you caught it." Michael stated, wrapping his arms around Monroe's small waist and she leaned back into his chest.

"You better catch it Dad" Monroe said calling out to Jason. Jason nodded his head like he already had it in the bag. When Sonny tossed the garter over his shoulder, Jason lightly pushed Spinelli out of his way to catch the garter with one hand. Monroe rolled her eyes at how simple it was for him and Sam was very happy that he was the one who caught it.

"Ut oh, you know what that means" Brenda said laughing as they set up the chair again for Sam this time.

"Okay so here's how it goes; for every inch above the knee… Mr. and Mrs. Corinthos get 10 years of complete marital happiness" the DJ announced as Jason got down on his knee and Sam sat with the bouquet in her hand.

"I can handle that" Jason said as he pushed the garter as far up her leg as he could go without scarring Michael, Morgan, and Monroe for life.

"Alright. Well I hope you two are dating because I'd say that's about 70 years of happiness" The DJ said, almost embarrassed. Jason stood up and pulled Sam off the chair and into his arms with a swift movement. Monroe loved seeing her parents so happy together.

* * *

After the cutting of the cake, everyone started to filter out of the wedding slowly. Sonny and Brenda were leaving that night for their honeymoon and people could tell they were anxious to leave. Pretty soon it was only Jason, Sam, Michael, and Monroe left.

"You want to walk home, go down to the docks maybe" Michael asked as he grabbed Monroe's coat to help her put it on.

"Sure, it's so pretty out" Monroe replied, happy that she had a warm coat because it was rather cold outside. But she was grateful Michael wanted to spend some time with her alone. She told Jason and Sam what they were doing and then said goodbye and thank you to Sonny and Brenda before leaving the reception.

"So why'd you wanna walk me home?" Monroe asked as they got to the docks, turning around to look up at him.

"For this" Michael said, as he placed his palm against the side of her face and crashed his lips onto hers. It was probably one of the coldest winter nights but Monroe felt completely warm. They stood there, kissing like that for awhile, and for a long time after that they just stood there holding each other. Michael knew she always belonged there, right in his arms.


	24. a perfect christmas

Sorry for taking so long to update! Spent the week in Maryland! Hope everyone likes this chapter! It's a happy one!

I don't own General Hospital, just monroe!

* * *

Christmas Eve was Monroe's favorite holiday, it always had been. Even before having a family to share the holiday with she loved walking around the city and seeing all the decorations and lights, but this year it was more special.

She woke up early with Sam to make themselves and Jason breakfast. Monroe had found a recipe online for gingerbread pancakes and they were attempting to make them without burning the penthouse down. They were both wearing red and green pajamas and their hair was messily thrown into a bun with red and green hair ties and headbands. They had to admit, they looked a little ridiculous, but Sam was so excited to share Christmas Eve and Christmas with her daughter, and she wanted everyone to have the complete gaudy Christmas experience.

"Do you think Dad will even like these?" Monroe asked laughing, after they both had spent the last 45 minutes making ginger pancakes, bacon, and scrambled eggs.

"Yeah, and if not... He will pretend." Sam said, as she set everything out on the table with Monroe.

"Jason, breakfast is ready" Sam called up the stairs.

"Oh boy…" Was all Sam could hear Jason say in a barely audible voice.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, pointing a finger at him as he made his way into the dining room.

"I'm just kidding" Jason said, throwing his hands up in defense. "This looks and smells really good." Jason said, trying to hide his surprise as he sat down with his girlfriend and daughter.

Monroe poured three mugs of coffee and sat down with her parents as they enjoyed the meal. Luckily, it not only looked and smelled good, it tasted good too.

"What is with the matching outfits?" Jason asked, pointing at Monroe and Sam. Monroe was dressed in red and green plaid pajama pants with a green shirt while Sam had the same pajamas but a red shirt on.

"We're being corny" Monroe explained simply and Jason just shook his head.

"Is Michael going to come over at all today?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, were going to exchange gifts here tonight since we probably won't see each other until tomorrow night" Monroe told her.

"Okay good, I wrapped his present already." Sam said, proud of herself.

"You didn't wrap all the presents yet? It's Christmas Eve!" Monroe shouted.

"I know, I know. I have plenty of time tonight" Sam said.

The rest of breakfast went by fast and Jason agreed to help clean up so Monroe could go take a shower. She was volunteering at the hospital that morning to deliver Christmas presents to the children.

When she got out of the shower she put on a pair of jeans, a red shimmery top with a pair of red heels. She looked at her phone and saw that she had a text from Michael asking what time he should come over and she told him around 6, she figured she would be back from the hospital by then.

* * *

Spending the day in the hospital was really rewarding for her and she had a really good time, she felt so sorry for the children but they were so excited to receive a present and hear a story, and just have some company and know that more people than their family cared about them.

She walked into the penthouse and was surprised at the smell of Italian food.

"Mom? You cooked dinner too?" Monroe asked as she set down her keys and purse.

"Hell no, ordered from Ragazzi's" Sam said, transferring the pasta and lasagna from the foil trays to glass bowls and plates. "Hope Michael likes it".

"I'm sure it will be fine" Monroe said, sitting down on the couch and waiting for Michael to get there. She didn't have to wait long because a few minutes later Michael walked in with gifts.

"Jeez Michael, I hope they all aren't for me" Monroe said as he walked through the door and places all the gifts on the coffee table.

"No, but mostly they are" He said, kissing her on the cheek and pulling her into a hug.

"Come on, dinners ready" Sam said as they all sat down to enjoy the meal together.

* * *

After dinner, Monroe was eager to open presents from Michael.

They exchanged all their gifts, Michael had even gotten something for Sam and Jason. Monroe loved everything she got from Michael, especially the promise for another weekend away, but what meant the most was the card that he wrote to her in:

_Monroe,_

_Merry Christmas. I couldn't really find a car to say exactly what I wanted to I thought I would just add to one. I want you to know how much I love you and how great things have been since you came into my life. You are so beautiful inside and out and I'm so lucky to have you in my life. You make my bad days better and I can only hope I do the same for you. I love you and I can't wait to spend many more Christmas' together._

_Love,_

_Michael._

Monroe thought she was going to cry when she read it, but she composed herself since Sam and Jason were nearby. After reading the card she pulled him into a hug and kissed him. "I love you too" she said quietly, kissing him again.

"Michael and I are going up to my room to watch a Christmas movie or something" Monroe called to Jason and Sam who were in the kitchen together.

"Alright. I think Jason and I are going to go over Grandma's for a little while." Sam told her and Monroe and Michael went upstairs.

When they made it to Monroe's bedroom and closed the door behind them, Monroe jumped onto Michael, wrapping her legs around his waist, luckily he was strong and holding her in his arms was not at all hard for him. She stared at him for a moment before placing a hand on his cheek and kissing him deeply. They stayed like that for a few moments before Michael walked them over to the bed and he gently placed her on it, staying over top of her. She began to pull off his shirt quickly and unbutton his jeans.

"Right now?" He asked, surprised, because he wasn't even sure Jason and Sam had left yet.

"Mmmhmm" She answered with her lips pressed to his and it wasn't long before he was taking her clothes off.

Since the beginning of their relationship, which was only four months ago, he had learned all the right places to kiss her and touch her and that was what she loved most about this part of their relationship, that he had cared enough to learn all these things about her. Michael kissed her neck up to her ear to whisper. "I swear you were made for me" which gave Monroe butterflies in her stomach, they were perfect for each other.

* * *

Hours later, they lay in bed together; the only ones awake in the house, unless Sam was wrapping presents still. Monroe looked out the window and saw that snow was falling from the sky and then she looked over at her clock and noticed that it was couple minutes after midnight. What a perfect way to start a day.

"Merry Christmas" Monroe said, kissing Michael on the cheek.

"Merry Christmas to you to, baby" Michael replied, kissing her forehead as she laid her head back down on his chest. She knew he would have to leave in a little bit, especially since it was probably going to get icy out soon, so she wanted to hold onto this moment for as long as she possibly could.

* * *

The next morning Monroe felt like a little girl, she had woken up by 7am, just because it was Christmas morning. She tried her hardest to go back to sleep, but after an hour and a half of failed attempts, she decided to get her presents that she had gotten for Sam and Jason and put them downstairs. She looked at the tree and saw that underneath there were a ton of presents, more than she had ever seen. She looked at the name tags and saw that almost all of them were for her and they were either from Mom, Dad, Mom and Dad, or Santa. She didn't think it was possible to be spoiled at 17, but her Mom was always proving her wrong. The movements of Monroe walking down the stairs and around the downstairs must have woken up Sam and Jason because they were soon down stairs with her.

"Alright, lets open some presents" Sam said, they had decided that Monroe would open all hers first, and then Jason and Sam would open theirs.

Monroe had gotten tons of clothes, make up, and jewelry, an IPAD, and a bunch of things to redecorate her room; new comforter, sheets, and a gift card to get a new dresser, nightstand, and bed. It took almost two hours for Monroe to finish opening all her presents, until finally it was her mom's turn to open hers. Monroe had gotten her pajamas, a few books, perfume, and a diamond ring that had her and Monroe's birthstone on it. Sam was so caught up in opening presents from her daughter, that they didn't even notice Jason leave the room. He returned with a present for Sam that looked about the size of the book and Monroe was a little discouraged, until she noticed that Jason was keeping his other hand behind his back.

Sam unwrapped the box and lifted the lid off. She tore away the tissue paper and underneath laid a piece of paper. On the piece of paper was a gorgeous house, with details about it; four bedrooms, three bathrooms, finished basement and attic, a two car garage, and a pool on plenty of land. Sam lifted up the paper and looked at it confused.

"What does this mean?" Sam said, turning around to face Jason, who was on one knee in front of the couch she was sitting on.

"It means I want us all to move into this house together, and I want us to be a complete family, with you as my wife" Jason explained, opening the small box in his hand to show Sam a three carat, princess cut, diamond ring set with a platinum silver band.

"Oh my god" Sam said, raising a hand to her mouth and Monroe couldn't stop smiling.

"Will you marry me, Sam?" Jason asked.

"Of course I will!" She said, letting Jason slide the ring onto her finger as they stood up together, hugging and kissing for what seemed like an eternity. When they finally pulled away from each other Monroe was awaiting to give them both a hug.

"This is perfect. A perfect Christmas." Monroe said, hugging her mom as tears trickled down their faces.


	25. take me with you

A/N: Okay I know I totally suck for not having this chapter up for so long but I have had literally so much going on. I didn't even end the story how I wanted, but it will do. I'd like to maybe do a sequel. Or possibly a new story with Michael and someone. Or a Sam and Jason story. I have lots of ideas floating around.

* * *

After Christmas, when the weather started to get warmer, Monroe felt like the months were flying right by. Before she knew it, it was Valentine's Day. Then again, before she knew it, it was finals, graduation, and summer break. Monroe was a little disappointed that Michael had recently decided he wasn't going to go to college; instead he wanted to work with his father. At first, they got into many, many fights about it. Over time, she slowly realized that she did not want to be without him, and if this was something he really wanted to do, then who was she to stop him was. She realized that having parents other than Jason and Sam probably would have made the outcome of her and Michael's relationship a lot different, but as faithfully as she saw her mom stand by Jason, she knew she was going to do the same for Michael.

The sun was blazing that hot July morning, as Monroe began to pack for her and Michael's random road trip. He had been busy working everyday and she had too, getting a job at Kelly's as well as the art studio, so they were happy to have a week off together, to spend time with just each other.

"Are you almost packed yet?" Michael said on his way up the stairs to Monroe's room. Jason, Sam, Carly, and Sonny realized how serious Michael and Monroe were about each other and were okay with them spending the night at each other's houses now. Especially since they were both working a lot and Sam knew what it was like to just want someone to sleep next to. Carly took the most convincing, but she had grown too really like Monroe, even if Sam wasn't one of her favorite people.

"Yeah, just have to throw these shoes in this bag" Monroe said from inside her closet.

"Babe, were going for five days. Why do you have 1…2…3…4…5 bags?" Michael said, staring in amazement.

"I don't know, I just need all this." She said, throwing the last bag onto her bed and zipping it closed.

"Alright but I think your shoes are going to weigh down my car and kill my gas mileage" Michael said jokingly.

"Shut up!" Monroe said, playfully smacking him. "Okay…let's go" Monroe said grabbing two bags as Michael grabbed the other three and they headed downstairs.

As they reached the main level of the penthouse, Sam and Jason met them at the door. "I'm going to miss you" Sam said, pulling Monroe into a hug.

"I'll miss you too mom" Monroe replied, as she let go and then gave Jason a hug.

"Call me when you get there" Sam said.

"I will. Love you mom, love you dad" She said, as Michael quickly hugged Sam and Jason goodbye and they headed out onto their adventure.

"So how long is going to take to get there?" Monroe asked, after they got into the car and had only driving for ten minutes.

"6 hours." Michael said and Monroe tried the best to hide her groan.

"We could always stop at a hotel half way, for a little relaxation" Michael said, giving her a wide grin.

"Yeah, because we have ever just relaxed in a hotel room" Monroe said smiling, which made Michael laugh as he remembered many of the nights they had spent in hotels over the past couple months, just to get away.

They sat in comfortable silence for the next hour or so as Monroe just watched the trees go by in her window. Michael's hand rested on her knee as she put her feet up on the dashboard and decided to plug in her ipod. She smiled at the first song that came on.

_Please forgive me if I seem forward_  
_But I've never been in front of anything like you_  
_It's the last place I ever thought I'd be_  
_When I woke up this morning_  
_Is it true?_  
_And that you're always this breathtaking_  
_And your smart and you're willing_  
_My God this is killing me_

_Tell me all the things you never said_  
_We can lie here and talk for hours in my bed_

_I don't have anything to hide_  
_I don't have anything_  
_Everything is not for certain_  
_I don't have anything to hide_  
_I don't have anything_  
_Everything is not for certain_

**_You started to see right through me_**  
**_And I'm loving every minute of it_**  
_It's like I'm born again_  
_Every time I breath in so,_  
_If you're curious,_  
_My favorite color's blue_  
_And I like to sing in the shower_  
_If you like, I'll sing to you_

_Tell me all the things you never said_  
_We can lie here and talk for hours in my bed_

_I don't have anything to hide_  
_I don't have anything_  
_Everything is not for certain_  
_I don't have anything to hide_  
_I don't have anything_  
_Everything is not for certain_

_Tell me all of your hopes,_  
_All of your dreams_  
_I want you to take me there_  
_Tell me all of your hopes,_  
_all of your dreams_  
_I want to take you there_  
_Tell me everything_  
_Every breath, I want you to know I'll be there_  
_There's just one more thing,_  
_One request_  
_I want you to take me with you_

_Take me with you_  
_I will never let you down_  
_I will love you now and forever_

The first time she had ever heard this song Michael was with her and he told her how much it reminded him of their relationship. It really was true, they really could she right through each other. Whenever she was upset and lying about it, he could read her like a book. Whenever he was angry or stressed and trying to hide it and fake a good mood, Monroe knew he was bullshitting. They told each other everything, and they spent a lot of time just laying down on the couch and talking to each other. Michael had been through a lot of things in his life, as being a Corinthos, and Monroe had also been through a lot of things as she basically raised herself. They were a perfect fit, the missing piece to each other's puzzle.

"I love you Michael, forever" Monroe said in all seriousness as the song had long ended.

"I love you to Monroe, forever." Michael replied simply, and they knew it was true.

The End

* * *

Thanks for all my reviews, I love them.

A/N: I do not own general hospital or any of the characters from there. The song in this chapter is Take Me With You by Secondhand Serenade.


End file.
